


Fall from sanity

by Lubylu1989



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series
Genre: Abuse, Confused Harley, F/M, Harley as Batgirl for a brief moment, Not A Happy Ending, Obsessed Joker, Possessive Joker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:34:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7727095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lubylu1989/pseuds/Lubylu1989
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joker has disappeared, leaving Harley to rot in Arkham where she decides she will give rehabilitation one last go. Bruce has decided to her on her path, determined to prove to himself that it is possible for people like the Joker to be redeemed. Somewhere along the way the two form a relationship and with Harley back on track things couldn't be better. That is until the Joker returns three years later, deciding that he wants his girl back. This isn't a fluffy story, it's a story based on her descent back to the Joker where he uses her in another on of his games to get to Batman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A petite blonde stood off to the side of the room, a glass of champagne held between two fingers lazily. Her bright blue eyes examined the room, her lips naked and pursed together. She really did hate these events and the distaste was bitter in her mouth. A fundraiser for Arkham Asylum; it was ironic considering her past relationship with the place. The blonde sighed and lifted the drink to her lips as she thought back to memories she would rather forget. Arkham Asylum, a place in a twisted logic was once her home and once a place of work as a young naïve psychiatrist; which was until she had met _him_. She was past that now though, the irony that the place which had broken her had also rehabilitated her and now, Harleen Quinzel was an upstanding citizen in Gotham city. The woman once known as Harley Quinn living the boring life, establishing herself in her former profession in a small office down town and a tiny apartment. The only excitement she lived now was the romantic relationship with Gotham city’s number one bachelor, Bruce Wayne.

Harleen chuckled to herself, who would have thought she would end up as arm candy for a man like him; not that she was complaining. Bruce was a sweet man, a bit on the mysterious side as he did tend to disappear at peculiar times but he treated her with a gentleness she had forgotten her fellow human beings possessed; unlike _him._ She quickly scolded herself and swept the fringe of her long blonde locks out of her face. She wouldn’t think about that man, he didn’t even deserve a place in her mind after what he did to her. Harleen felt an arm slide around her waist and she turned her head to smile at a man who was at least half a head taller than her; him sitting around the 6’2 mark and her an average 5’7. Bruce’s blue eyes met hers and he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

“How are you holding up, this can’t be easy,” His smooth voice had a slight gruffness to it and she slowly nodded her head. Bruce knew everything about her. At first he had been wary, expecting her to relapse but over time she had shown him that this time she was serious, that she no longer wanted a life of crime. Harleen wasn’t sure how they began a relationship although it was gradual. Bruce had kept an eye on her, helped her stay on track and somewhere along the way feelings came into the mix.

“It’s…difficult,” she replied, offering no more than that. It was awkward talking about her ex and she knew it made him uncomfortable as they were both aware of the small niggling in the back of her mind and the constant struggle to keep her demons at bay; the demons that _he_ created, “I may leave soon, if that’s alright.”

“Of course, don’t push yourself,” he smiled, his grip pulling her closer to him as a way of trying to calm her nerves, “Will you be going back to your apartment tonight?”

“I have work early in the morning so it’s probably best. I know you have to stick around for a little while longer,” Harleen knew he would offer to go with her but she realised he had obligations and her apartment wasn’t far, “God, how long has it been…that life seems so long ago now.”

“Three years, you’ve done well Harleen…I’m proud of you,” The blonde blushed and looked to the floor, butterflies flittering in her stomach. Bruce turned her to him slightly and leant down, placing a small peck on her lips.

“Get going Harleen,” He pulled away and she frowned at the distance. That was one downside to dating Bruce, he wasn’t overly affectionate. No nicknames, no overly passionate affection unless they were in the bedroom. Sometimes Harleen really missed the spontaneity of her old life, she missed the way the excitement filled her with fire and made her whole body tingle; the way _he_ would just grab her and make her feel wanted no matter where they were, “Harleen?”

“Oh, yes…sorry love,” she went to make her way towards the exit when a loud bang filled the room and a cackling laugh erupted from up above. Harleen’s eyes widened and her heart clenched. It had been years since that laugh graced her ears, the man it belonged to locked up and far away. People began to scream and men descended down on ropes, rounding people into groups in the centre of the floor.

Harleen tried to even out her breathing and let herself be rounded up, standing to the back of one group and taking her shoes off so she could make herself as small as possible and out of view. Harleen couldn’t imagine what he would do if he saw her and the thought of it made her heart race with a mixture of fear and anticipation. People began to quieten as the rounding up was completed and Harleen knew _he_ would be standing in the middle of the room, all attention on him.

“No invitation for little ol me! How very rude!” the amused voice echoed in the room and Harleen fought the urge to tiptoe to see the owner of it, “Now, ladies and gentlemen we are going to play a little game. You see due to my recent…vacay…I’ve run into a lack of funds so what better way to line my pockets with your wonderful charity,” The groups of people where shoved as henchmen pulled out burlap sacks and indicated for them to place their valuables in. “What a wonderful joke don’t you think. Here you all are, raising money to find a way to make me sane and here I am taking those wonderful donations to cause my mayhem on this fine city! But alas there always has to be a punchline does there not?” Harleen sighed, of freakin course there had to be. She held out her bag and dumped it into the sack, “Oh pumpkin pie! My little Harley, I know you’re in here, the Harlequin to my Joker.”

Harleen froze, her blue eyes wide. The hall echoed with footsteps. The Joker inspecting each group with his hands behind his back and wide, demented smile plastered on his face. He had forgotten about her, she had convinced herself he was done with her! Why, why now! He stopped in front of her group and his green eyes focused on her. Harleen let out a silent scream as he pushed those in front of her to the ground. The Joker looked exactly like she remembered him, his face bleached white, a large red smile drawn on like a carnival clown and his green hair slicked back. The Joker grabbed her arm, dragging her into the middle of the room with a deep frown set on his lips.

“What do you want,” she whispered, trying to make herself come across as strong but failing when her voice cracked. The Joker raised his hand and placed it on her cheek, his thumb rubbing harshly over her lips. He stood up and began to rustle through the sacks of possessions, checking each bag and pulling out various lipsticks. The unwanted ones clattered to the floor and eventually he snickered, coming back over to her and grabbing her chin harshly. Harleen felt the creamy lipstick being applied to her lips roughly causing clumping due to the pressure of the stick being pressed down. The lines were messy, going past her lip line and she felt the stickiness around her mouth. The Joker still didn’t look impressed and he looked around the room, pointing to two women.

“Hair ties! Now!” he snapped. The two women screeched as henchmen pulled at their hair harshly and Harleen wanted to cry. Her chest felt like it was about to cave in. Why, why was he doing this to her! The Joker parted her hair in the middle, yanking at it roughly as he tied it into two high pig tails. “There! That’s my girl.”

“Why are you doing this!” she cried out, pulling away from him and scrambling backwards. The Joker grabbed onto her foot, pulling her to him and slightly under him, “Please, just let me go.”

“It’s seems my little pooh, that you’ve forgotten who…you…are and who…you...belong…to,” He smirked and his hand went to her throat, giving it a soft squeeze in a threating manor, “I do have to say what a brilliant joke! Bruce Wayne, I’m impressed!” He let her throat go and Harleen let out a relieved sigh only to cry out when a swift kick connected with her ribs, “How dare you think that you could leave me! I MADE YOU.”

“P-please,” she gasped out, clutching herself. The Joker kicked her again, a dangerous glint in his eye. This is why…this is why she had left him and started again.

“You belong to me Harleykins, you and me are two of a kind! A twofer!” The Joker leant down, his gloved hand grasping her arm and yanking her upwards. She slammed into his chest and his arm wrapped around her waist, another clasping her hand in a waltz like stance. Harleen glared at him as he led her around the room, music that only he could hear in his head guiding him, “Aren’t you excited baby, I’ve come to break you free from this boring life! Me and you! Hitting the town together again!”

“I’d rather rot in hell, Joker,” she spat even though her heart fluttered at his words. Her psychotic ex’s face turned into a dangerous scowl and he stopped dancing to look at her, “Let go of me.”

“Somebody needs to learn their place,” his lips crashed down onto hers, his teeth taking her bottom lip between them and biting down harshly. Harleen cried out in pain but the Joker held her firm. The niggling in the back of her mind flared up and for a brief moment she lost herself in the violently passionate kiss, slipping into the darkness that was the Joker. Fire burned in her along with a need she hadn’t felt in a very long time.

“Puddin’…,” she whispered out. The Joker cackled again and pushed her away from him. Harleen stumbled backwards and toppled to the ground. Blood flowed from her lips, her already messy lipstick smudged across her face.

“Now ladies and gentlemen! Time for the real show!” The Joker raised his arms as if he was a conductor and pointed to one group of people. Guns being cocked was heard and people started to scream again. Harleen watched in horror as the group was mowed down in a hail of bullets, the Joker’s maniacal laugh adding to the background noise, “BATSY!”

A commotion broke out as the caped crusader made his entrance. He came from the roof, just as the Joker had but his arms were spread out, his wings slowing his fall. He dropped between Harleen and the Joker, his focus solely on the escaped criminal who looked like he had been given a present. The gun fire stopped and all eyes were on the adversaries. Even with Harleen being on the straight and narrow Batman was still intimating, seeing him and the Joker face off made her blood speed up and her breathing laboured. She was excited, she knew she was but she had to restrain herself, she was no longer Harley Quinn.

“Are you okay?” The question was directed at her, even if he didn’t look at her and she let out a small squeak, shuffling herself backwards. It was a very Harley Quinn like act, one that she regretted doing.

“Y-yes,” she stammered. Harleen pushed herself off the ground on unsteady feet, she had to get out of here.

“Isn’t this the reunion ae Batsy!” The Joker signalled to his hench men who circled around them. Harleen tried to get behind them to get out of the firing line but she was grabbed by both arms. A shot rang out as the Joker pulled out his gun and fired it, the bullet missing her by a fraction, “You’re not going anywhere pumpkin pie!”

“Let her go Joker,” Batman growled out, his voice threating and cold. The Joker wagged his finger, a fake sadness present on his face.

“You should know better Batsy, I don’t like sharing my toys,” The crazed man pulled a switch blade and lunged for his rival. Harleen could tell he was overjoyed with the scuffle. After all he believed him and Batman to be kindred spirits, their whole purpose to play a sick game of cat and mouse. Batman dodged the attack, hitting the Joker in the face and making him stumble backwards. Harleen let out a soft snicker, taking pleasure in seeing her ex-lover being bet down, “OW!”

“No more game’s Joker, you’re going back to Arkham,” Batman twisted the Jokers arm behind his back, causing him to hop in a comical matter. Joker’s small army of men attacked, Batman held onto his arch rival firmly, switching between hands to protect himself as well as kicking them back when he got the chance. The men holding Harleen hesitated, their grip slipped and she took the opportunity to escape, elbowing one in the gut she twisted and grabbed the others head, pulling it down onto her knee. The thrill of it made her eyes wild and they shone brightly. A gleeful laugh escaped her lips, how long had it been since she had fun like this!

“Harley baby, help daddy out will ya?” his tone was sweet but it made her feel sick. Help him? Why? When had he ever done anything to help her! He had left her to rot in Arkham and now when she had gotten her life back he decides he wants her again! The nerve of him!

“You belong in Arkham, _Daddy,_ ” she spat out. Turning her back on him.

“YOU USELESS LITTLE! HOW DARE YOU! YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE I LET YOU HAVE A FEW YEARS OF FREEDOM THAT YOU CAN DEFY ME!” she could hear him struggle and she could picture his angry face in her mind. Harleen had seen it many times, suffered many bruises and yet a part of her yearned for him, “I OWN YOU!”

“That’s enough Joker,” the vigilante growled. The Joker twisted free somehow, moving quicker than anyone expected and Harleen groaned as her face hit the ground. A fist pulling at one of her pigtails and a heavy weight sitting on her back.

“Enjoy your little fantasy while it lasts Pumpkin Pie, you’ll come crawling back to me just like you always do,” She yelled out as hit bit down on her neck, blood dripped down from the wound and she felt a wet kiss be placed on her cheek. The weight on her back disappeared and smoke filled the room, people started shouting, hysterical laughter faded away and Harleen lay on the ground, to stunned to move.

~*~

With a shaky hand Harleen touched her swollen lips. The dark red lipstick still smudged and her hair still in ponytails. It was the first time in years she had seen Harley Quinn in her reflection. Nostalgia hit her, a small smile fluttering to her lips as she thought about that kiss. Even after all this time he could still ignite a flame in her stomach that made her want to follow him to the ends of the earth. Harleen sighed, he really was perfect but he wasn’t for her, not anymore. She reached up and tugged the hair ties out and grabbed a flannel to wash her face. It stung when she reached her lips, the bite marks raw and slowly scabbing over. The one on her neck was covered in a bandage, looked after by the medics due to possible infection.

When the makeup was off she stared at her reflection again, slightly disappointed with the person staring back. Plain old Harleen Quinzel, boring Harleen Quinzel. She began to brush out her blonde hair before jumping into bed, Bruce already there waiting for her. Her boyfriend gave her a worried look but she just gave him a small shrug, not knowing what to say to him. A part of her felt abandoned by him, he hadn’t been there when she needed him and the other part of her felt guilty. Seeing the Joker stirred something in her, something she knew wasn’t right.

“Are you okay?” she rolled over to her side, facing the wall. She really wasn’t in the mood to talk. Bruce wrapped and arm around her, pulling her to him and placed a light kiss on her cheek, “Harleen?”

“Where were you,” she muttered, scrunching her hands into her pillow. It hurt, he had promised he wouldn’t let her down.

“I couldn’t get to you Harleen, those thugs were in my way,” it was a weak excuse and she couldn’t help but think that Mistah J would have fought his way to her. Harleen sighed, she really needed to stop thinking thoughts as that, they would get her in trouble, “I’m sorry Harleen.”

“Goodnight Bruce,” she closed her eyes, ignoring the way he sighed at her response. She had every right to be mad!


	2. Chapter 2

Tick tock, tick tock. Harleen looked up to the clock, watching the seconds tick down. Work had been rough. The entire day she was distracted, her neck throbbing was making her constantly think about the Joker and she was starting to think that’s why he had done it. The more she thought about him the more she wondered what he was doing and who he was with. Little by little she found her thoughts consumed by him and it frustrated her. She had worked so hard to play by society’s rules and she had gotten everything she ever dream of so why did she feel so…empty.

A knock was at the door and she yelled for her client to come in but no one did. She stood up, flinging the door open impatiently only to find no one there. Harleen looked down after something caught her eye. A small vase with a single rose was left on the floor a note with only a kiss and the letter J on it attached. Her heart did an uncomfortable flutter again and she picked it up, taking it to her desk as she hummed an old tune. Mistah J really did care about her, even if he had a funny way of showing it. Harleen flinched, realising she had thought of him as Mistah J again and let out a frustrated scream while pushing the rose off her desk. She would not fall for this again! She was better than this!

Determined to keep her mind off her ex she pushed him out of her mind and focused on her next clients. She briefly read the notes, groaning at how boring it was. Child of divorce who spent her time bitching about how her daddy didn’t buy her enough things. God what a whiney little…Harleen stopped herself, she couldn’t be thinking that way, it was wrong. Right then Harleen decided to cancel the appointment, they were late anyway and she wasn’t any good to them in the state she was in.

Picking up her things she decided to head home. A nice bubble bath would do her good and she still had a bath bomb waiting to be used under the sink. Harleen grabbed her phone to quickly send a cancellation message to the clients she had left then grabbed her keys. It took a few slams for the door to close behind her, the wood slightly swollen from an old pipe leak a few years ago. Finally, she heard the click of the lock and she threw her keys into her bag and walked out onto the street. The smell of downtown made her nose crinkle and she ignored a beggar on the side of the footpath, his gloved hand holding a tattered hat as he rattled the few coins in it. Harleen brushed off the uneasiness he caused her to feel, something about him just seemed…off. She clutched her bag tighter to her and crossed the road, wanting to put as much distance between her and the beggar as possible.

Her flat wasn’t too far from her office, only a block and a half away if she took a few alleys. Bruce on many occasions had told her to keep to the main streets but Harleen knew she could look after herself; she may not be Harley Quinn anymore but that didn’t mean she couldn’t kick some muggers ass if she ever came across one. This time though Harleen followed his advice as she noticed the beggar get up and cross to her side of the road. She quickened her footsteps and the heels of her shoes clicked in a steady rhythm.

“Harley!” the beggar yelled, “Harley! Stop!” Harleen looked back, her eyes wide as he called out her villainess name, “We need to talk!”

“You have no business with me beggar,” Harleen yelled back before she took off, keeping her head down as she sprinted towards home. She could hear the man chasing after her, his steps getting closer with her heels creating a disadvantage.

“Harley! It’s me!” She slowed down to a jog before stopping, “It’s Crane!”

“S-Scarecrow?” Harleen waited for him to catch up with her and she cocked her head to the side, “Why do you look like that?”

“Had to disguise myself,” He winked, “Can’t have the clown finding out.”

Scarecrow, also formally known as Dr Jonathan Crane had grown close with Harleen over the years she had spent in Arkham. The two would frequently play chess and he was one of the people who helped her see she deserved a better life then than one Joker had offered to her. It also helped that they both had a background in psychology and in that regards they became kindred spirits. It was a pity he had gone so far off the deep end due to his narrowed focus on phobias, leading him to do unethical experiments and eventually becoming the villain known as Scarecrow.

“Are you trying to tell me you’re scared of the big bad Joker?” Harleen smirked, “That isn’t like you.”

“We both know the only thing that gets me scared is the bat,” he winked, “I’ve come to warn you.”

“I already know he’s out,” Harleen sighed, pointing to the bandage on her neck, “Left me a present.”

“No...,” Scarecrow leaned forward, his eyes darting around as he held out his hat. Harleen looked down and noticed a folded piece of paper in the bottom. He shook the hat and Harleen quickly moved her bag to the front of her, pulling out any loose change she had. Quickly she placed it in the hat and used two fingers to grab the paper and carefully placing it in her fist, “Thanks ma’am.”

“Go get yourself a sandwich alright,” She replied, getting the feeling they were being watched. Scarecrow winked at her before heading back in the direction she had originally come from and Harleen carefully slipped the note into her bag as she placed it back to the side.

The meeting perplexed her. Why would Scarecrow warn her when she already knew the Joker was running around a free man and why was he so concerned about being seen in public with her? She was being watched, she could sense that but Harleen doubted it was the Joker or one of his thugs. He knew where she worked, lived and who she dated; that was enough for him to work with. Could that mean? Harleen looked around the roof tops, her eyes narrowed as she spotted a familiar dark shape. Harleen frowned, had she not proved herself enough? She had given Batman no reason to tail her like this. She gave him a courteous nod, letting him know that she saw him and that there was nothing amiss.

Batman didn’t move but she swore he gave her a small nod back, a mutual understanding in some way. It unnerved her yet at the same time it was a comfort. If he was watching her it would mean that the Joker couldn’t get to her in the open, it would force him to be careful and maybe he would get bored and leave her alone again. Harleen continued back on her travels, well aware that he followed on the rooftops until she reached her door. She gave him a small two finger wave with her keys in hand as she entered and when Harleen closed the door she finally allowed herself to breath properly. Even though she wasn’t doing anything wrong, just having him around made her feel like she was still a criminal.

Harleen threw the keys on the entrance way table after locking the door then slipped out of her heels; flexing her feet in odd angles to relieve the stress of them being so confined. She then dropped her bag in the kitchen, quickly checking her phone for messages before heading into the bathroom. She ran the tap and grabbed the bath bomb from under the sink. She gave it a sniff to make sure it wasn’t to overwhelming and placed it on the counter in preparation to throw it in when the water was full enough.

She left the bathroom, her mind flicking to the note in her bag and she picked it off the floor. Rustling through it she finally found the small piece of paper and opened it. Her lips dropped at the side and her forehead creased. On it was a name, a name that she knew too well and beside it was a roughly drawn bullseye. _Bruce Wayne,_ stood out in neat cursive against the white of the paper it was written on. What was this supposed to mean? Was Bruce in danger? Was the Joker after her boyfriend for being involved with her? That would make sense, the Joker had possessive tendencies.

Harleen grabbed her phone and she quickly dialled Bruce’s number. Her stomach niggled as she bit her lip. How was she supposed to explain to him that she had received a note from an Arkham escapee and didn’t call the police? She doubted he would understand her companionship and loyalty to the Scarecrow. She listened to it ring before it clicked over and she held her breath, waiting to hear Bruce speak.

“Harleen? Are you alright?” his smooth voiced asked concerned.

“Yes…No…I’m not sure…,” She nibbled on her lip, “Something happened…”

“Are you hurt?” she heard him rustling around and Harleen knew he was preparing to come over.

“No, nothing like that happened it’s just…I received something...a warning…,” Harleen waited to hear him speak but it never came, “I…I got given a note by…,” She hesitated.

“By?” Bruce pressed. Harleen scratched the back of her head nervously.

“By Scarecrow…,” Silence was what she received and if it wasn’t for the soft breathing she heard, Harleen would have been sure he had hung up.

“What did it say?” Harleen looked down at it in her hand, “And what are you doing associating with him again?”

“I’m not associating with him again! I left work early and he was waiting for me dressed as a beggar, he handed me a note then he left…end of,” Harleen huffed, “Do you really trust me so little Bruce?”

“Don’t be like that Harleen. I just know it’s been a rough few days and I’m concerned,” Harleen pouted, “You know I care a lot about you, I would hate to see you dragged back into that lifestyle after you’ve worked so hard.”

“So you don’t trust me!” Harleen clenched her fist slightly.

“I do but it’s very easy to be tempted, you’re still on the path of recovery…almost like an addict. To stay sober you have to avoid certain things or people,” Harleen froze, did he really think of her as an addict?

“I am not an addict Bruce. I can talk to a person without having the urge to go rob a damn bank and if you think so little of me…,” Harleen had tears welling up in her eyes and her voice cracked slightly causing her to stop.

“Harleen…,” she heard him sigh, “That wasn’t what I meant, I’m just concerned about you that’s all.”

“I see…,” Harleen whispered softly. She really didn’t but she couldn’t be bothered arguing after the day she had, “The note had your name on it with a bullseye. I don’t know what it means but he said it was a warning.”

“Did he say anything else?” Bruce’s voice dropped his concern and was replaced by a cold frost, “It’s important you tell me everything.”

“Not really, he said he was disguised so the Joker didn’t know it was him then he handed me the note and took off,” Harleen walked back into the bathroom to check on her bath. She turned the tap off and threw the bath bomb in, watching as it fizzed angrily in a mixture of colours.

“Are you sure? He said nothing else at all?” Harleen groaned. Why couldn’t he just accept what she told him instead of pressing for something that wasn’t there.

“No, nothing else at all Bruce,” She snapped, “I’m tired, I’m going to have a bath then I’m going to bed,” Harleen hung up the phone and turned it off. She had enough conversations for one day and now all she wanted was time alone with a glass of wine, a nice warm bath and a fuzzy robe afterwards.

………….

Visiting Bruce always made her slightly uncomfortable. Growing up with an abusive con-man for a father she hadn’t been exposed to a life of luxury. Even when she was with the Joker it wasn’t something she thought of as a priority and had embraced the run down warehouse hideouts. A giant manor, sitting upon a hill and looking out over Gotham was not a place she ever thought she would be welcome at and she felt slightly out of place amongst the carefully picked stone and marble. It was like she was a fly on the wall, an outsider looking in from a sheltered corner but not entirely welcome. On top of that Wayne Manor held a cold emptiness to it that gave off a more museum like vibe then an actual home. An antique meticulously preserved, adorned with items of extreme value and it saddened Harleen slightly that the mass of space should be filled with laughter and not the crisp footsteps of two men.

Alfred opened the door for her and offered her a warm, wide smile. Without him Harleen wondered if the only warmness in the manor would be the fire place. He had always been kind to her, looking over her past discretions with ease and giving Harleen hope that others could be so open minded. He was an older man, crisply dressed in a starched suit with his shoulders squared back. To anyone else they would see him as simple butler but Harleen had learnt over time he had a quick wit and a cheekiness that allowed for playful banter when the time was right.

“Master Bruce will be down soon,” he started, leading her into the living area and taking her coat, “Tea, Harleen? I picked up a new blend this morning if you are interested.”

“Yes please, Al,” Harleen smiled, giving him a wink. The older man stayed, standing tall but his lips twitched at the side. When she had first met Alfred she had insisted that he wasn’t so formal with her and in return he offered the same curtesy, resulting in her shortening his name. She didn’t know if it bothered him but he smiled whenever she used it so she assumed he was fond of it, “He hasn’t been giving you too much trouble I hope.”

“Master Bruce always causes me trouble,” Alfred joked, “I’m just here to make sure he stays on track.”

“He’s told you then?” she looked at her feet and wiggled slightly in her seat.

“He has. I understand his concern but I have faith in you, just as he does,” Alfred’s eyes softened, “He is concerned for your safety Harleen, it is only natural.”

“Al…why did he take me on knowing my baggage? Surely I’m not worth the trouble,” Harleen didn’t look up as she asked the question softly. It was hard to show her insecurities, especially when it came to relationships, “Mistah J…,” Harleen stopped and bit her lip at her screw up, “I mean, Joker…he’d always tell me I wasn’t worth it so why would Bruce think any differently? If I’m not good enough for a psychopathic criminal then why would I be good enough for Gotham’s wealthiest man?”

“The only person who can put a value on your worth is yourself Harleen,” Alfred patted her on the shoulder, “And personally I think you are an exceptional young woman, do not let the thoughts of a monster effect how you see yourself.”

“A monster…,” Harleen frowned. Is that what society saw the underbelly of Gotham as? Her old friends, a bunch of misfits just trying to find a place in a world that had shunned them and considered to be such vile creatures, “Was I a monster then?”

“Do you think you were?” Alfred quirked his eyebrow at her.

“No…I don’t think any of them are,” she looked up at Alfred finally, “I think…I think we just all have a lot of pain and that makes me…and them seem different, so society shuns us and what’s not normal becomes normal because it’s all we know.”

“You’re speaking in present tense, Harleen,” She sighed but didn’t stop looking at him, “Do you still feel shunned?”

“I guess I do but that comes with the responsibility of owning my past actions, I can’t expect everyone to believe I’m on the straight and narrow…even after three years. People will expect me to fail,” Alfred watched her carefully before giving her another small smile.

“You are wise Harleen, far wiser then what you give yourself credit for,” There it was, that warmth and kindness she was slowly getting used to, “I’ll go get you that tea.”

Harleen nodded and turned to the fireplace. She watched as the logs burned under an orange glow and surrounded by dazzling flames. The tongues of them danced and Harleen leant forward, enjoying the fluid motion and loosing herself in it. It gave her a moment to shut off her mind for two seconds, to focus on something so simple yet elegantly beautiful. It always amazed her how fire could symbolise so many things. Here in this moment it was a comfort while in the past it was exciting and explosive.

“I wasn’t sure you would turn up,” Harleen jumped slightly at the sound of Bruce’s voice next to her and she held a hand over her chest.

“Jesus Bruce, don’t sneak up on me like that,” Bruce let out a small chuckle and placed an arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him. Harleen slipped her shoes off and curled her legs under her, snuggling into his relaxed embrace. This is what she adored about this man, he could be so cold yet in moments like this he was soft and tender, almost as if he knew what she was needing the that moment.

“I’m happy you’re here,” he murmured into her hair, “I was worried I had pushed you away.”

“No, sure I was mad but I thought it over and realised you’re just trying to look out for me,” Harleen went back to watching the fire, “How could you not be worried? It’s not just any old villain, it’s the Joker.”

“I just don’t want to see him pulling you into his games, I may not know him personally like Batman but I’ve heard the stories from Gordon,” His arm tensed and he pulled her closer as if he was afraid. It was nice having someone care enough to show concern for her.

“Sadly I do know him and I get what you mean. There’s a chance I’ve already walked into his game and had no idea,” she flinched at the confession, “I have to admit Bruce, my thoughts have become a bit jumbled.”

“I thought as much. I don’t doubt you Harleen but that night would have been a shock, you haven’t seen him in three years and then in an instance his focus was centred on you again. I believe it was intentionally done that way so it forced your thoughts to linger on a traumatic event with him the cause of it. He removed your choice by forcing your mind to acknowledge him,” Harleen turned her head and blinked as she raised her hand to her neck. He was right. The brain was hardwired to focus on a traumatic event in the days after; in combination with a physical wound she hadn’t stood a chance. The rose he sent only made the memory stay prominent in the front of her mind, distracting her from her daily routine and disturbing it.

“Bruce…I’m worried,” Harleen bit her lip, “I didn’t see it! I didn’t see how he had gotten into my head. I saw signs of it but what if it’s deeper? I’m predictable to him, he knows how I’ll react. What if I’m already a mouse running on his wheel again?”

“Breath,” Bruce turned to her and pressed his forehead against hers, “You take deep breaths and you focus on your life, on what your building. He wants you to be paranoid, he wants you overthinking, he wants you to throw it all away for him just to prove that it isn’t possible to be rehabilitated. So you breath and you keep breathing until everything refocuses and your able to put your energy anywhere else but him.”

“What if it’s not possible?” Harleen’s voice cracked, “What if he’s right and I do go back?”

“Do you want to?” She watched as he closed his eyes and she noticed his breathing was slower, more controlled and Harleen found herself copying his rhythm until her mind stopped racing and her chaotic thoughts numbed.

“No,” She lifted her head an and her lips sought out his. Harleen wasn’t sure if she loved Bruce, she wasn’t even sure if she knew what proper love was after being with the Joker. What she did know was that being here with him in this moment she felt safe, happy and at peace. It may not be a fast paced relationship nor overly exciting but right now calm was what she needed.

“Tea?” Alfred cleared his throat, not looking embarrassed in the slightest for interrupting them, “I do hope you like peppermint, Harleen.”

“I’ll give it a go Al!” Harleen giggled and sat herself upright. Alfred place the cup in front of her and she picked it up, lifting it to her nose to sniff it. It smelled sweet but the mint slightly burnt her senses and caused her to wrinkle her face. Bruce watched her with gentle amusement and she poked her tongue out at him before taking a sip. Just because she wasn’t Harley Quin anymore didn’t mean she had lost her childish side completely. The tea was sweet and the peppermint was a lot softer then what she had expected it to be, “I like it.”

“I’m pleased, I thought of you when I brought it,” Alfred looked over to Bruce and Harleen pursed her lips; she knew that look.

“You have to go don’t you?” Harleen sighed, “But it’s date night.”

“How serious is it?” Bruce frowned, the playfulness from before disappearing. Alfred picked up the remote and turned the TV on. There, on full screen was the Joker. His maniacal smile at the centre and the top of his purple over coat showing.

“He’s at Wayne Tower and he has hostages,” Bruce stood up and Harley grabbed for him slightly panicked.

“Bruce, you’re not Batman. Going there would be suicide,” he placed his hand on top of hers and crouched down so that they were eye level.

“I’ll be fine Harleen, I’m going to help Gordon as much as I can, it is my building and he will want to know of any accessible entrances S.W.A.T can utilise,” Harleen’s grip tightened, something in his eyes was telling her differently, “I promise Harleen, I will come back.”

“You better,” the blonde pouted and reluctantly let him go, “Remember the warning I got, it’s you he’s trying to draw out.”

“I’ll keep my distance,” Bruce ruffled her hair playfully and swiftly left the room. Alfred stayed behind to keep Harleen company and she turned her attention back to the TV. Even seeing the Joker on the screen shook her. It was if those calculating green eyes were watching her and it caused a chill to ruffle the hairs on her arms. The sound was off and she was thankful for that. She didn’t need to hear what he was saying, his message had hit its mark.

“More tea Harleen?” she shook her head and stood up. There was no point in sitting around waiting for Bruce to come back, “Master Bruce would like you to stay here the night, he would feel better knowing you are somewhere safe.”

“He worries too much Al,” Harleen leant down and picked up her shoes, putting them on as she held onto the couch for support before grabbing her bag.


	3. Chapter 3

The Bat signal hadn’t been raised, there was no need for it with the Joker plaster over all of Gotham’s TVs. Commissioner Gordon already had the tower plans sprawled out in front of him on the bonnet of his police car.  The officers around moved out of his way, staring at the imposing figure with respect and slight fear. They all knew who he was and even though he was on their side he walked a line that none of them understood. Others though, they glared at him with contempt, blaming him for bringing the Jokers chaos down on them. They believed he drew freaks to Gotham and they were probably right to.

Gordon had grown older physically then he actually was. Dealing with raving lunatic; especially the one who paralysed his daughter, had taken its toll. He had an overwhelming respect for Gordon. This man had suffered so much, lost so much, all because he understood the consequences of having his face as commissioner broadcasted in a city full of nut jobs with happy trigger fingers. He took the job on, had fallen to the consequences and yet his sense of justice had not failed him and only strengthened with each blow. Compared to Gordon, Batman was just another masked figure protected by an alter-ego.

“What have we got?” he leaned over, looking to where Gordon was pointing.

“He’s situated himself on the top floor. Bruce Wayne’s’ office to be exact. A number of his goons are loitering around, their positions more sporadic then anything. I think he actually believes Bruce will show,” Gordon looked at him briefly, a small waver of recognition that was quickly buried. He always wondered if the commissioner knew from those glances but believed that the man ignored his suspicions, preferring not to know.

“How many to be exact?” He looked up to the building, the glass that usually shimmered in the sun now having a darkness to it that only followed the Joker, “Has he made any demands?”

“Not sure, twenty…thirty…could be more. All we know is he has about ten hostages, mostly cleaning staff. They haven’t moved in a while,” Gordon pointed to a window closer to the top of the tower where two figures stood still, looking out towards them. Batman’s gut dropped, he had a sinking feeling they were already lost, “He only has one demand…Bruce Wayne.”

“I’m not sure what his play is on this, he’s either trying to prove a point or he’s driven by jealousy…,” The plan felt kind of erratic to him, but when was the Jokers sick games straight forward.

“Maybe both,” Gordon ran a hand through his hair, “Harleen has been doing well, I don’t understand why he would come back for her after three years.”

“He may be irrational but he has been known to play a long game if he believes his point is of importance. This isn’t his usual run of the mill tactics, this is bigger,” Gordon clenched his fists and Batman knew this was drudging up memories the man would rather forget.

“Get him before he takes it too far this time,” Batman nodded in response, agreeing with the statement, “The sooner he’s back in Arkham the sooner we can put a stop to whatever the sicko has in mind.”

“How are you wanting to approach this?” Usually he took the lead but he didn’t feel confident due to this being personal. It was best he kept a cool head and let Gordon make a rational plan, the last thing anyone needed was for him to allow the Joker to drag him back to breaking point.

“You go for the Joker, we’ll take out the men on the floors below and the hostages,” Batman nodded and before Gordon could finish he had gone. He headed towards the back entrance, knowing that the Joker would expect him to tackle him head on. He would avoid his goons and let Gordon and his men take care of them as planned but he was prepared for a fight if needed. The elevator wouldn’t be a bad choice if he used the shaft and not the lift. Taking the stairs, he held out his wrist, connecting with Alfred who he knew would be in the Batcave monitoring the situation.

“Alfred, access the lift on the east side of the tower, second shaft,” he ordered, powering his way up the stairs as well as checking for any signs of henchmen.

“It’s on the thirty third floor, would you like me to cease its movement?” Alfred replied quickly.

“Bring it down to the tenth floor then put on the emergency break, I’ll be using the shaft to avoid Jokers henchmen,” His suit was heavy running up the stairs and he was thankful for his endurance and strength training at times like this, “Any movement from the Joker?”

“None, he’s set himself up in your office quite nicely,” Alfred mused.

“And Harleen?” He hadn’t wanted to ask but he wasn’t sure he trusted her not to get involved.

“Gone home, I dropped her off myself to ensure she didn’t detour,” Alfred had a soft spot for the ex-villainess. He often said she brought a vibrancy to the manor that he hadn’t seen in some time. It also helped that she was rather sweet when on the right path, “Be careful Master Bruce, you know how you can get when your emotions are involved.”

“I am aware Alfred, how’s that lift coming?” He made it to the fire exit on the eleventh floor and forced the doors open.

“Tenth floor as asked,” Alfred said coolly, “Anything else?”

“Check the camera’s closet to the Hostages, I have a feeling they have been exposed to the Jokers gas,” He would never forget the first time he saw that gruesome smile on one of the Jokers victims. A crude calling card that never got easier to see no matter how many times he encountered it.

Batman pulled out his grappling hook and shot it upwards, connecting it to the pipes at the top of the shaft before giving it a tug. It held firm so he clipped it to his belt and held on as he was pulled upwards, past doors after doors of metal until he finally reached his destination. Before he swung himself over he unclipped a smoke canister from his belt, knowing that the Joker would have some surprises waiting for him.

“Open the doors,” he ordered into his wrist guard. After a few seconds the moved apart smoothly and he threw the canister quickly, using it to confuse the guards who had their guns drawn towards him. They feel backwards as he swung into them and knocked them unconscious before checking their pulse; he knew they would have hit their heads hard.

Batman moved forward slowly, completely aware of his surroundings. He had been caught out too many times by this mad man and this time he had more to lose than normal. Surprisingly nothing jumped out at him and he warily opened the two wooden doors that opened into his office. The chair at his desk was spun around but Batman knew the Joker was sitting there, waiting for him.

“Ah Batsy, come to ruin my fun again have you?” The Jokers playful voice filled the room and the anarchist spun around, propping his feet up on the desk with a thud, “I do say, I am disappointed that you’re involving yourself in my personal matters.”

“We both know this is about more than Harleen,” he retorted, not moving from his spot. He wouldn’t move until the opportune moment due to the Joker pulling his prey in before he attacked.

“First name basis? My Harls has been a busy girl while I’ve been away,” The joker chuckled but there was a venom to his tone that made Batman’s skin crawl, “She’ll have to be punished for that, can’t have her running around blabbing my secrets to the big bad batsy now can we.”

“She’s not your girl anymore Joker,” He knew it was wrong to prod but he needed to draw out a reaction to sense a hint of the Jokers real motives. The Joker let out a cackling laugh, spinning the chair around like a child.

“Course she’s mine, finders’ keepers Batsy. I found her, the _real_ her and it’s been rather lonely without her around,” The chair stopped spinning and he thudded his hands down on the desk clasped and leant forward, “She’s a pain in my neck most of the time but she is my property.”

“People aren’t property Joker, you have no claim on her nor anyone else,” His voice lowered slightly in anger. He hated the way this man talked about Harleen but he had to remind himself that as Batman there was no connection. It was Bruce she was with.

“I made her I own her, besides, she always comes crawling back, we both know it’s only a matter of time before she’s by my side again,” Batman took a step forward and the Joker’s grin widened, “What’s the matter Batsy, did I hit a nerve?”

“This is over Joker, you’re going back to Arkham where you belong,” The Joker jumped out of the seat and held up his hand. Clenched inside it was a small cylinder shape with a large red button on top.

“Not so fast Batsy, my guest hasn’t arrived yet,” Batman froze, eyeing the detonator sceptically.

 _“Batman, we’ve found a large box in the basement, we think it’s a bomb,”_ Gordons voice rang through and narrowed his eyes.

“What’s in the box Joker?” Somehow his red lips grew into an even wider smile and Batman couldn’t help but shudder at the madness it portrayed.

“Just a little present for Harls new guy. He took something of mine so I’m gonna take something of his, seems fair doesn’t it?” Behind Joker glass shattered and the cool air flowed through the gaping hole where a window once stood.

“Give me the detonator,” Batman held out his gloved hand. He knew it was useless trying to negotiate with a psychopath but he wasn’t sure what other choice he had right now. Attacking him would force the Joker out the window and the detonator with him.

“Give me Bruce Wayne,” The Joker snapped back, clearly growing irritated, “How many people do you think this building will wipe out when it goes down? Hundreds? Thousands? One man’s life in exchange for theirs?”

“Give me the detonator,” His tone became more aggressive and he moved forward again, only to have to joker step back, “This isn’t a game Joker, you can’t murder hundreds of people because you’re jealous!”

“Why not? They’re a part of the society that told my poor Harley that she needed to change, that she needed to fit in,” The Joker was practically growling out his distaste.

“Maybe she got sick of being a punching bag,” The Joker let out a booming laugh at his reply, using one finger to wipe under his eye as if Batman had told him the world’s greatest joke.

“She could take it. My girl is strong and a few beatings never bothered her, in fact she rather enjoyed them,” The Joker looked down at his watch and let out a sigh, “While this has been fun Batsy, my rides here.”

“NO!” The Joker held out his arms and feel backwards. Batman rushed forward desperately, watching the speck of silver tumble to the pavement. Next to the building a chopper hovered with the Joker hanging off a rope ladder below it. He was waving and his mouth was wide in a full laugh before he clambered into the chopper and made his exit.

“Gordon, evacuate the building, Wayne Tower is going to collapse,” Batman looked out to the city, wondering if he had made the right choice. Who knows how many would die tonight because he had shown as Batman and not Bruce.

 _“It’s full of his gas, no explosion. Bomb squad got caught in it but everyone else got out,”_ Gordon replied. The heavy weight on his chest lessened but it still remained knowing that the Joker still had taken lives.

“And the hostages?” He queried, hoping that his suspicion was wrong.

 _“All dead…_ ,” The reply was sombre and Batman shook his head. They were too late; they were always too late. 

………………..

Harleen was aware when Bruce climbed into her bed and snuggled up to her. It was close to midnight and she wasn’t surprised. She had followed the broadcast on TV and even though he may not have known the cleaners directly he would feel responsible for them and their families. She rolled over and scooted up the bed so that she could looked at him in the eye and placed a hand on his cheek. He nuzzled into it, letting a soft sigh escape his lips. It was odd this dynamic. He had spent so many times comforting her that it was uncomfortable to be in the opposite positions; not that she was complaining, it was nice to be needed.

“There was nothing you could do Bruce, they would have all been dead the second Joker walked into the building,” his eyes wavered with failure and she frowned, “You’re only a man Bruce.”

“I could have faced him, if I had maybe the bomb squad would have made it,” She moved her hand from his cheek to his hair, running her hands through the locks to comfort him.

“He would have gotten what he wanted,” she replied, “Who knows what would have happened then.”

“Rather me than them,” Bruce rolled away from her and looked up at the ceiling, “They were all hard working people with families, they didn’t deserve deaths like that.”

“You couldn’t do anything for them Bruce, there’s no point in dwelling on what you can’t fix,” He stiffened under her words and she realised she came across more callous then intended, “I just mean…focus on what you can do for them and for those they left behind, their kids and spouses.”

“Money can’t replace what’s been taken,” Bruce shifted his eyes back to her.

“No it can’t, but it can give them what those who died were working so hard for…like college education for their kids,” Harleen sighed and sat up, wrapping her arms around her legs, “If you let this consume you, he wins Bruce.”

“But…,” Harleen shook her head and narrowed her eyes.

“They were already dead and if you had gone you would be to, maybe even worse off,” she looked towards the wall in front of her, “Do what you can then leave it where it needs to be. Dwelling on things you can’t take back ain’t gonna do you any good, I should know.”

“Harleen-,” she turned to him sharply as he pushed himself to a sitting position to, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think.”

“I’m just as to blame as you are but I can’t afford to cry over it. I’m going to own that responsibility and I’m gonna move on just as you need to as well,” Harleen jumped out of the bed and went to the door.

“Where are you going?” Bruce was alarmed and he made a motion to follow her but she held up her hand.

“I can’t sleep so I’m going to make myself a hot drink and read a book, you can join me if you want but if you do leave your guilt at the door,” she slammed the bedroom door closed and went to the small kitchenette. She splayed her hands on the bench and hung her head.

Harleen felt like shit. As much as she wanted to believe what she had said to Bruce she couldn’t. The responsibility wasn’t his, it was hers. All of it was hers. She should never had gotten involved with Bruce, she should have stayed in Arkham where she belonged and waited for Joker to come get her like she normally did. Why had she been so selfish to think that she could join society again and have nothing go wrong? The worst part about it was that she was excited over how far the Joker was going for her. She couldn’t look Bruce in the face and admit that she squealed when she saw the body count, that she had thought of each one of them as a declaration of love. How could she admit that for a brief moment she had lost it and Harley had taken over before she regained her senses and realised what she had done. She didn’t feel true guilt for the victims, she felt guilty about her response to it.

“What do you want? I don’t have much but I’m pretty good at making cocoa,” she heard the door open and put on a weak smile as she grabbed two mugs from the cupboard above.

“Sounds good,” An arm wrapped around her waist and his head propped on her shoulder, “You were right by the way.”

“Of course I was,” Harleen poured water in the kettle before flicking it on and grabbed the sugar and cocoa.

“No, I mean it. I should focus on what I can do not what I can’t change,” his grip tightened around her waist and he took and deep breath, “For a second there your accent was thicker, it was rather cute.”

“It does that when I get frustrated or angry,” she laughed, “Here,” She handed him his cup and turned around.

“I may have to keep you around, this is pretty good,” he smirked after he took a sip and moved back.

“If a crappy cup of hot choc keeps you around you don’t have high expectations Mr Wayne,” Harleen chided, brushing past him and to her small, second hand couch.

“I may be a billionaire but it’s the simple things I adore,” he sat next to her and patted his lap before handing her a well-worn book. Harleen gave him a questioning look as she placed her mug on the side table. Bruce grabbed her legs and placed them on his lap before covering them with a blanket, “You read and I’ll just enjoy being in your company.”

“There isn’t anything else you want Mr Wayne?” she teased, knowing that he hated it when she called him that.

“Not tonight. I didn’t come here for that, I just came here to be around you,” he gave her a warm smile before resting his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes.

Harleen took a moment to observe him. He looked exhausted and it was if he was holding the world’s problems on his shoulders. Her eyes trailed his strong jaw line that had slight stubble on it and the blonde was certain it would be gone in the morning. It wasn’t often she got to see him like this and it made her heart skip a beat. He looked just as broken as she felt. Gone was the business man façade, the mask he wore as a well put together billionaire. His perfection had cracked and it was in moments like these Harleen saw what it was that drew them together. He was looking for someone to numb his pain, just as she was. It probably wasn’t the healthiest thing but if it stopped both of them from crumbling then it would do. Realistically Harleen knew this wouldn’t last but she would enjoy it while she had it.

“You’re staring,” he murmured, opening one eye to look at her.

“Sorry,” Harleen blushed and finally lifted her book to her face. Every now and then though she couldn’t help but peak at the enigma that was Bruce Wayne and somewhere in the back of her mind something niggled. There was a lot more to him than anyone knew.

…………………………..

“You!” Joker bellowed at one of his henchmen. The man pointed to himself, looking afraid and confused, “Yes you, you imbecile!”

“B-boss, we don’t know how he got in,” the man stuttered, looking anywhere then the angry psychopath who was waving a gun around. A loud shot rang out and the man fell backwards, clutching his chest where a large, red stain was forming.

“Anyone else?” Joker spat out lividly, “Who here dares to tell me how Batsy got in a ruin my well laid plans?”

“T-the elevator boss,” Another henchman spoke up. The Joker sighed and ran a hand down his face, the gun still in hand.

“I’m surrounded by morons,” he groaned out, “Did I, or did I not tell you to secure all elevators until our guest had arrived?”

“B-but boss, he wasn’t actually _in_ the elevator,” Another shot rang out and Joker pushed himself up off his make shift throne of Purple and green. He paced down the stairs, hands clasped behind his back with narrowed eyes.

“Anyone else? Anyone?” he asked again when he stepped into the middle of the group, “You only had one job, keep batsy busy while I got to meet Harleys new toy…what part of that did you pathetic, wastes of space not understand?”

“We-we’re really sorry boss,” The Joker raised his hand and pistol whipped the henchmen who talked, knocking a few teeth to the ground. He let out a small chuckle, seeing people loose body parts always did lift his spirits.

“Get out, the lot of you. I need time to work out my next move,” he dismissed them with a wave of his hand and they scrambled out quickly; none of them wanted to join the two dead men on the ground, “And clean up the meat bags before they stink up the place!”

He spun around, returning back to his throne and put his head in the palm of his hand with his elbow resting on the side. Tonight had been a complete disappointment. He had gone out of his way to set up an extravagant meet and greet for Harleys new guy, only to have good old bats show up and ruin everything. Usually he would be thrilled to face off against the dark knight but he had shown to soon and thrown his plans out the window, quite literally.

On the other hand, it seemed that his little Harleykins had been up to more than what he had assumed. He was just going to use her to prove a point, plus the bonus of having her back in his fold again since he really did miss her; sure he’d toss her aside again and let her rot in Arkham when she got on his nerves but that was beside the point. He had wanted to test her; he had wanted to see how truly loyal she was to him. It just so happened that she had gone and rehabilitated herself; which thrilled him to the core at the notion he would get to tear her back down again and prove once and for all the task of rehabilitation for people like them was impossible. But the bats had given him a little more insight then he had expected. The bats actually cared for his little Harley. He let out a loud laugh at the thought of it. The Batman, interested in his property, oh what fun he would have with his discovery! He really would have to thank Harley for giving him such a wonderful gift, hell, the girl had practically gift wrapped it with a bright red bow for him. He originally was just going to mess with Gothams number one bachelor before killing him off and removing the competition but why would he do that now when he could use Harley to get to the bat.


	4. Chapter 4

Harleen sat behind her desk watching the clock once more. Why did her clients always have the knack of being late? She leaned back in her chair and looked up to the roof, spotting a patch of mould in the corner. It was a fuzzy spot, green with black patches almost like a caterpillar. She knew she should get rid of it or bring it up to the building manager but she couldn’t bring herself to. It was just trying to survive within a small window of optimum conditions much like she was; so who was she to deny life to another organism, even if it was mould. A knock on her door pulled her attention away and she sat up straight.

“Come in,” she chimed as she opened the client’s file. A young girl stepped in, her demeanour shy and unsure. Harleen gave her a welcoming smile and gave her a small wink, she always did have a soft spot for helping kids, “Don’t worry, I don’t bite.”

“Okay…,” The girl shut the door behind her and shuffled to one of the free seats. Harleen stood up to join her, sitting opposite with an open posture in an attempt to make the girl feel more comfortable. Mental health was a funny profession in that regards, the wrong body positioning and she could appear closed of and disinterested.

“How are you going Ruby?” Harleen asked as she placed her note pad beside her. Ruby had been one of her first clients, her mother sending her way due to her cheaper fee’s for youth cases.

“Not to good…,” Ruby looked to the side, avoiding Harleen’s gaze. She was wearing makeup heavier than usual and she resisted the urge to lean forward. From this distance though she could see the slight hue of a dark marking marring her cheek.

“How old are you now Ruby?” the girl looked up confused. She was a young thing but pretty, easy prey for the asshole’s that roamed the street in Gotham due to her low self-confidence, “Sixteen? Seventeen now was it?”

“Seventeen next week,” Ruby looked uncomfortable again, “Mum’s throwing me a party.”

“That’s exciting, who’s on the guest list?” anyone else would have missed the disappointed look in the girls face but not her, “Ah, not the boyfriend I’m guessing.”

“Mum’s still not happy with how old he is…,” Harleen gave her a stern look and pointed to the girl’s cheek. Ruby had talked of the man frequently, he was older, not older enough to be her father but old enough to make the relationship questionable and Harleen had been concerned for some time now that he was manipulating Ruby.

“You sure that doesn’t have anything to do with it?” Ruby’s hand flew to her cheek and she began to stammer, “I know abuse when I see it Ruby, I’m no stranger to it.”

“This…this wasn’t him, he…he loves me…,” Ruby trailed off a slight blush tinting her face, “I swear it’s not him, he treats me right Dr Quinzel and he says he’s going to take me away once I turn eighteen.”

“Is that what you want?” Harleen bit her lip, seeing herself in this young woman. She had once been promised such things; oh how it was so easy to believe a bunch of pretty words and sweet promises.

“Yeah, I love him. He’s a good guy, sweet, kind…he’d protect me if he could…,” Harleen’s blue eyes narrowed dangerously; not the boyfriend then.

“Didn’t you mother just get a new boyfriend?” Ruby nodded warily, her body stiffing and her shoulders drop in submission, token signs of conditioning, “I see…”

“Mum’s happy…I…I don’t want to see her sad,” the shame and self-blame was clearly sketched into Ruby’s soft features. Harleen leaned forward, invading Ruby’s space slightly.

“He do that to ya kid?” her accent shifted again, her anger becoming evident, “You can tell me, patient-client confidentiality.”

“Yeah…when mum’s not around. She’s been working two jobs lately to make sure we have enough money for my college when I’m old enough,” Harleen reached out her hand and lightly rubbed the girl’s sore cheek. Ruby flinched in pain, the bruise was definitely still fresh as the swelling was still prominent.

“If I told you that I knew someone who could make him disappear what would you say?” Ruby’s head jolted to attention, “Hypothetically of course.”

“I…I wouldn’t want to make mum sad, after losing dad all she did was sleep and cry…,” Harleen shook her head. It wasn’t a child’s job to make their parents happy. She knew loosing Ruby’s father had hit them hard. He had been a hard-working man who was worthy of admiration and a good role model for his young daughter who had taken on his habits when it came to study. Ruby could easily gain a scholarship but even on that they would need to cover her living expenses.

“Do you think she would be happy knowing what he’s doing? She’s working two jobs to put you through college and you’re thinking about running off with a guy twice your age just to get away from her new boyfriend. What part of that would make her happy?” Ruby was silent for a moment before her bottom lip quivered.

“I…I’d want him gone,” Harleen smiled brightly and sat back straight in her chair. Usually she wouldn’t do this, but she saw a lot of herself in Ruby and she was determined to make sure the young girl didn’t make the same mistakes she had.

“Now that wasn’t so hard was it? It’s only hypothetical of course but at least now we know of one problem we can work on this session,” Ruby didn’t look convinced but she didn’t question it, “Tell me all about this man alright, right down to what he looks like.”

………………………………

In the back of her wardrobe was a box. It wasn’t anything special on the outside, just a plain white box that anyone could get from a dollar shop. Inside though was something special, something Harleen hadn’t laid eyes on in years. Harleen grabbed the box gently and placed it on the bed, lifting the lid as if it would crumble in her hands. She lowered her hand into the box, a relieved smile on her face as it touched the cool leather hiding inside. For years she had pretended that it hadn’t been in her wardrobe, ignoring it’s call to her to inflict chaos. But tonight was different. It was only a one off thing.

She lifted the outfit out of the box and lay it on the bed. Her chest swelled at the sight of her leather, red and black pants; her signature four diamond emblem in black standing out on the left, red leg and the reversed coloured image on the other. The matching top with the colours switched was a bit crinkled but it wasn’t anything that the dark, red corset couldn’t hide. Her boots lay on the floor, her favourite part of the outfit. Light enough to move swiftly but heavy enough to inflict decent damage. Still in the box lay her bat and gun. It wasn’t her hammer which she preferred but that was locked up in Arkham and she would just have to mourn her loss another time; the bat would do the job perfectly.

Putting the outfit on was liberating. It still fit perfectly and the feel of the leather sent a chill of exhilaration and pure pleasure through her. Harleen let out a small laugh, oh how she had fallen today but it was just one night, just one target. Get it out of her system then go back to her normal life and pretend that she hadn’t relapsed and dipped her toes into Harley Quinn. If she was sneaky about it no one would find out either and besides, the city should thank her for taking the scum bag off the street.

She didn’t need to do much with her face thanks to the Joker throwing her into a vat of radioactive waste years ago. She did apply mask like makeup around her eyes, black and smudged with deep, deep red lipstick. Harleen looked in the mirror, a wide smile creeping up her face. Staring back was Harley Quinn, the beautifully damaged psychopath she had longed for since the Joker had reappeared. _Just one night_ , she repeated in her head.

Harleen, now Harley Quinn vaulted herself onto her fire escape, not wanting to risk the chance of any of her neighbours seeing her. Usually she wouldn’t have cared but she wasn’t going to throw everything away just for the fun of one night. Below her was an unattended car and Harley knew it would be quicker to take it and less of a risk than moving through Gotham at night with B-man running around.

She made her way down, busting the back window open with her bat and unlocking the door. She leant in unlocking the driver’s side door as well and slipped in. Hot wiring a car was as natural as eating to her and in under a minute she had the car reeved and peeling out of the alley towards her destination. Harley let out a loud yell of pleasure and embraced the thrill of being back, cackling manically as she ignored red lights and put her foot down.

It didn’t take long to get to Ruby’s address and if what the girl had told her was right, her mother would be working in the diner two blocks over. It wasn’t the best neighbourhood so she was confident that even if the man did scream no one would report it. Harley skipped over to the apartment door with the bat slung over her shoulder, she pushed a button on the intercom, leaning over so she was eye level.

 _“Who is it,”_ a gruff voice asked. Harley chuckled.

“I left my key’s at work, do ya reckon you could buzz me in, I live on the second floor and my man’s out for the night,” There was a loud buzz and Harley stood up straight. She swung the door open and bounced inside, pulling out a pack of gum from her back pocket and popping a bit into her mouth. She chewed it, blew a bubble until it popped then repeated the motion in the elevator before spitting it out when she reached Ruby’s floor.

“Ruuuuuuuby,” Harley sung out, “Where are ya Ruby, we’ve got a game to play,” Harley giggled, stopping at the door before knocking, “I know you’re in there.”

“Ruby! Get the damn door!” the voice from the intercom rung from behind the wood.

The door creaked open and Rubys face poked out, tears in her eyes and another red mark on her opposite cheek. Harley raised a finger to her lips and made a shushing motion before winking. Ruby stood frozen and Harley pushed her aside gently, swaggering into the room and swinging her bat around in one hand. She let out a low whistle as she looked around, gaining the attention of Ruby’s mother’s boyfriend.

“What the fuck! Ruby! Who the fuck is this?” The man stood up and Harley pouted at him, fluttering her eyelashes.

“Don’t you wanna play with me baby?” she asked mockingly. The man looked her up and down with a leer on her face.

“You’re one of those freaks. Who the fuck said you could come in here?” Harley let out a loud laugh and vaulted herself over the chair he had been sitting on and landed on his chest, causing him to stumble and hit his head on the TV behind him. Harley’s eyes were wide with excitement and adrenaline.

“I heard you like beating on lil girls, so I thought you might like to play with a big girl for once,” Harley leant down and placed a sloppy kiss on the side of his face, “How about it big man?”

The man shoved her off and Harley cracked up laughing, lying splayed on the floor as he towered over her, a look of disgust on his face. Harley clutched her bat and stood up, looking back to Ruby who was watching from the front door, not sure whether or not she should get help.

“Wouldn’t do that kiddo, I’d prefer it if the B-man didn’t show up. Be a good girl for Aunty Harley and go to your room will ya, this will hopefully get a bit messy,” Harley winked at her again and was pleased when the girl did as she said, disappearing behind a door off of the lounge.

“Get the fuck outta my house freak!” The man shouted, picking up a lamp off a side table and throwing it at her. Harley side stepped it with ease and sighed.

“Come on big man, let’s see what ya got,” Harley lunged for him, bat swinging low and it came up with a sickening crack on the man’s lower jaw. He slammed backwards, howling in pain as he hit the wall, “That had to hurt.”

“I’ll fucking kill you!” The man roared, blood pouring from his mouth as he finally charged her. Harley squealed as he grabbed her around the middle and threw her across the room. She hit the cabinet behind her and her grin only got bigger. She had missed the pain of a fight, the exhilaration it caused. Sure she hadn’t liked how Mistah J treated her but on many occasions she had enticed him just to feel some sort of pain.

“You can do better than that can’t ya?” Harley pushed herself off the cabinet and brushed herself off, “So far I’m pretty disappointed.”

“How about this!” He pulled out a gun and Harley tilted her head to the side. How cliché and predictable.  He let a couple of rounds off and Harley flipped behind the couch quickly, pulling out her own customised Glock, a present from Mistah J she couldn’t seem to part with, “Come out here so I can shoot that pretty grin of your freak face.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Harley moved quickly, standing up and pointing the gun directly at his head as he leaned over the couch to find her, “Drop the gun or your brains are gonna be a permanent part of the wallpaper.”

“Alright, alright, just don’t shoot,” He lowered his to the ground and Harley eyed the man’s jaw. It was definitely shattered beyond repair and there were teeth hanging in weird angles, “What is it you want? The brat? Take her, I don’t care.”

“Open the door,” Harley nodded to the small balcony, “Better hurry, I’ve been known to have an itchy trigger finger.”

“Please, please don’t hurt me anymore, I ain’t done nothing,” the man began to weep and Harley grew angry at how pathetic he was being. She forced him outside, put her gun back into her belt before grabbing her bat and closing the door behind them.

“Up and over big man,” Harley swung her bat straight into the side of his head. The man staggered backwards and the rusty balcony railing gave way behind him. Harley looked over the side to see him hit the ground, giggling at the sickening thud, “I wonder if that counts as a home run?”

Harley shrugged and went back inside, looking around the room. There wasn’t too much mess if you excluded the busted cabinet, the bullet holes in the couch and a slight splattering of blood. The door creaked open and Ruby looked out, pale and shaking slightly. Harley walked over to her and ruffled the girl’s hair playfully.

“Probably best we get our stories straight don’t ya think?” Ruby nodded slowly but didn’t say a word, the girl was looking at her bat with had large, red smears down the bulk of it, “What ya think of home invasion? Two guys, two real big guys, ya know, rhino looking fellas just came and busted in here, had a scuffle and dear ol step-dad over there took a tumble so they bolted.”

“Y-yeah…anything you say,” Ruby looked shell shocked and Harley chuckled. She had done a good deed here; sure the girl might suffer a little PTSD but that shit built character after all. Nothing a good dose of counselling couldn’t fix up over time.

“Looks like I’m all done here, sorry bout the mess, place needed a bit of redecorating anyway,” Harley could hear the sirens in the distance and she turned back to the front door, if she was quick she could get back to the car, leave a note for the owner with a few a bit of cash to cover damages and then snuggle up under the blankets after a nice long bath.

“Wait!” Ruby yelled out, stopping her before she could open the door. Harley turned, slightly confused, “I…I just wanted…Thank you and…and I swear I won’t tell, Dr Quinzel, I’ll keep your secret.”

“You’re alright kid,” Harley smiled softly before opening the door and shutting it quickly behind her. It was an odd feeling to be thanked for murdering someone but it was nice to know her decision had brought something positive for once.


	5. Chapter 5

Another day, another fundraiser. Some days it was exhausting being considered Bruce Wayne’s other half. Sure she liked dressing up, who didn’t? It was the conversations that she had issue with. A bunch of old fundy dudies pottering around, spitting nonsense and just donating to make it look like they were contributing to society although most of them, if not all had dirty secrets to hide. So here Harleen was again, with a fake smile on her face as Bruce led her around one group to the next, charming everyone around him with ease while she stood there and looked pretty.

She didn’t miss the looks though. Harleen didn’t exactly look normal with how bleached her skin was. Just another reminder for her, and them of where she had come from and who she had been associated with. Not that she cared now. Something about the night at Ruby’s had given Harley a sense of calm, her nerves and paranoia brushed aside to think of another day. The independence and confidence that had come from the act was exhilarating and yet regretful. She had forgotten how addictive it was and at some points she had nearly gone out again, secretly hoping to run into her ex-lover. The consequences of that would be damning. As Harleen she could keep a level head but as Harley she would drown in him again and this time there would be no saving her.

Surprisingly, the Joker has been quiet of late. No bank robberies, no mass gas attacks or lab break ins, just complete silence with the odd goon surfacing here or there. It was concerning but Harleen had decided not to dwell on it. The less she thought of him the better. Bruce handed her a drink and she took it happily, wriggling her knees to ease the tension on her feet.

“You’re bored,” He chuckled. The upside to these events was that she got to admire Bruce in a suit, she was a sucked for a man in a tailored, fitted piece.

“These things do my head in,” Harleen laughed, “No one has anything interesting to talk about, it’s just all waffle and self-indulgence.”

“True, but without their charity the causes that rely on them would be in ruin,” Bruce nudged her, and she desperately tried to balance the liquid in her glass, god knows what these people would say if she spilt a drop considering one glass probably cost more than her rent, “And besides, I’m here aren’t I?”

“And you don’t look to bad in a tux,” Harleen took a sip of her drink, eyeing him up as she did without shame. She knew he kept a strict work out regime and it showed pretty impressively, “If you keep flirting with all the elderly women one of them might steal you from me.”

“You mean kidnap me,” she chuckled as she pictured it in her head. A bunch of well-dressed grannies, done up in pearls and tying Bruce up, locking him away in a tower like some princess.

“You wouldn’t see the light of day again,” she joked, blinking at the image as it faded to the back of her mind, “Those old birds could be ruthless.”

“You’re probably right,” Bruce mussed and looking a bit on the afraid side of things, “They’re the real power behind all these men, I could go missing and no one would blink an eye if they were behind it.”

“It sounds horrifying!” Harleen opened her eyes wide, holding a hand against her chest as she exaggerated her fake concern, “Whatever would I do!”

“We both know you would go have tea with Alfred and discuss the horrifying incident for your own twisted amusement,” the petite blonde snicker under her breath. He had her friendship with Alfred nailed.

“Al would definitely get a kick out of it,” Bruce nudged his head to the side where Gordon was standing next to his daughter Barbra. Harley tensed, she didn’t like going near the wheel chair bound woman.

“Bruce!” Gordon called them over, waving as if he had seen a saviour. Harleen took a deep breath and sculled back her drink.

“Commissioner Gordon!” Bruce greeted, “I didn’t pick you to be here tonight.”

“Well things have been pretty quiet lately and Barbra got an invite so suggested I tag alone. Father, daughter night and all that,” Gordon held up his drink in a cheers motion, “Good evening Harleen, looking as lovely as ever.”

“Thank you, Commissioner,” Harleen smiled and somehow managed to keep her cringe at talking with the man internally. It was always hard being around people who had seen her at her worst, it made her thoughts focus on the possibilities of what they really thought of her, a spiral which she particularly did not want to go down, “It’s been awhile.”

“Thankfully, it’s nice to see you not in handcuffs,” Gordon replied with a small approving nod.

“Let’s see how long that lasts,” Barbra spoke up. The commissioner’s daughter was a stunning woman with hair that reminded Harleen of Red’s, except Reds hair was more full and Barbra’s hair feel nicely and controlled. Her blue eyes were piercing though, as if she saw straight through Harleen and it caused her to have her back up. One wrong word out of place and the woman would pounce on her like a lion.

“Barbra…,” Gordon scolded, “Harleen has proved more than enough times she’s rehabilitated.”

“While Joker wasn’t around, everybody knows she just his lapdog,” Harleen sucked air between her teeth and her knuckles whitened, she was nobody’s lapdog.

“Enough Barbra,” Bruce interjected, giving her a stern warning glare, “I understand you don’t like my choice but you are being disrespectful.”

“Disrespectful? You say that to me knowing what her crazed, madman of a boyfriend did to me?” Barbra hit her wheelchair, “What are you even thinking?”

“Barbra, not here,” Bruce’s tone turned dark and dominating. Harleen shuddered, there was something about that tone that was extremely familiar.

“Apologise Barbra,” Gordon snapped, backing Bruce up, “You cannot blame Harleen for the actions of the Joker, she is just another victim of his.”

“It’s fine,” Harleen spoke up finally, hating the word victim. Sure Joker had manipulated her, beat her and driven her insane but it was her who had been drawn to him and her choice’s that led to her past life, “If I was her I’d be angry to.”

“At least we agree on one thing,” The red head snapped, her disgusted gaze never wavering, “You’re making a mistake Bruce, she’ll turn on you.”

“She won’t,” Bruce grabbed Harleen’s hand and gave it a small squeeze; an attempt and him trying to tell her that she had his trust.

“Just because you slap a bit of paint on her and declare her sane doesn’t mean anything, Quinn is still in there and it’s only a matter of time,” Barbra gave her one last look before spinning her wheel chair around and leaving her father looking extremely awkward and apologetic.

“I should go after her,” he sighed, “She’s been having a rough time lately.”

“The anniversary is coming up, it’s understandable,” Gordon shook Bruce’s hand and gave Harleen an apologetic smile. When they were out of ear shot Harleen let out her breath, relieved to be away from the two.

“Sorry about that, Barbra and I have a complicated history,” a pain of jealousy shot through Harleen’s stomach and she turned to him, mouth agape.

“You two had a thing?” her question was clipped at the end; Joker hadn’t mentioned anything and Harley knew for a fact he had kept tabs on the woman before he crippled her.

“It ended before it could start,” Bruce shrugged, “She’s letting our history and her history with the Joker cloud her views on you.”

“He did cripple her…it’s understandable to direct the blame at the closet affiliate to him, I must be a walking reminder,” Harleen offered but she knew it was more than that. Barbra Gordon was no fool and she saw through Harleen the second she lay eyes on her.

Harleen turned to Bruce to look at him and she wondered, if she had to choose which direction she would go. Sure he was good to her but was her heart really in this like Bruce assumed it was or were they both just fooling each other. He stared back at her and she saw the same emotions going through his mind. They were a sinking ship and neither one of them was willing to abandon ship just yet. Maybe Bruce was blind to it, or he was clinging onto hope, or maybe it was her desperately clasping at it. Right now she wasn’t sure which one it was but at some point, one would have to jump and abandon the other; she just hoped it didn’t end up in a blood bath.  

……………………………………..

So maybe she had lied to herself and maybe, just maybe she had snuck out again. It wasn’t intentional. Harleen had just been bored, lazing around at home and flicking through channels when her eyes drifted to her bedroom. She had tried to ignore the pull, she really had but the boredom had gotten the better of her. Bruce wasn’t returning her calls, she didn’t really have any other friends in Gotham as of yet; she preferred to be a homebody and hermit over truly socialising. So she had decided that she would pay Red a visit; seeing Barbra had really made her miss her old friend. Harleen couldn’t exactly turn up on the woman’s front door as Harleen Quinzel either.

So here she was, kitted out and sitting in Reds kitchen while the proclaimed eco-terrorist shook her head in disbelief. Sure her friend was slightly disappointed but she needed someone other than Bruce to spend her time with. Red eventually smiled and Harley smiled back before they broke out into a laugh, the two friends happy to see each other again.

“What are you doing here Quinn, shouldn’t you be playing house with lover boy?” Poison Ivy joked before standing up and grabbing the newspaper, throwing it down on the table, “Nice catch by the way.”

“He’s busy tonight so I decided to have some girl time, where’s the harm in that Red?” Harleen picked up the paper and looked at it. There in a big black and white photo was her and Bruce at the recent fundraiser. It was odd staring at a picture of Harleen Quinzel and she was starting to wonder if she was having an identity crisis.

“You’re not considering going back to Joker are you?” the green skinned woman queried, a hint of knowing in her voice, “You know he’s no good for you Quinn.”

“I know, what I’ve got going with Bruce is a good thing…,” Harleen sighed and put the paper down, “Just cause Mistah J is back doesn’t mean I gotta go back.”

“Mmm, why aren’t I convinced?” Ivy crossed her legs and slung her arm on the back of her chair, “I know that look, you’re still hung up on him, you’re even called him Mistah J.”

“We’re done,” Harley snapped, “I’m just…missing the excitement ya know, being Harleen Quinzel is just so…boring.”

“Isn’t boring what you wanted? You seemed perfectly happy until he showed up again,” Harley pursed her lips and she knew a blush was forming on her cheeks, “Yes, I do keep tabs on you.”

“Naw Red, you do care for lil ol me,” Harley teased. Ivy glared at her, not wanting to admit she had missed her friend, “What’s the word on Mistah J anyway? He’s been pretty silent since his takeover at Wayne Tower.”

“Not much really, he’s just been taking back his old territories, stepping on Penguins and Scarecrows toes like usual and stealing all the decent henchmen for himself,” Ivy replied warily and agitated, “Word is he’s planning something big, something to do with Batman.”

“Wasn’t he targeting Bruce?” Harley frowned, wondering why his focus shifted back to his long-time rival.

“From what I hear something happened in Wayne Tower that caught his interest and you,” Ivy pointed at her, “Are right in the centre of it all.”

“But I haven’t done nothing,” Harley grumbled, “I never asked for Mistah J to come back, I’m doin just fine without the jerk.”

“Harley…something big is about to go down, he’s calling on everyone, even me,” This got Harleys attention, “I said no of course but Scarecrow’s jumped on board, as well as the Riddler.”

“He only calls on them when he’s cookin something big up,” Harley drummed her fingers on the table, “This isn’t about me anymore is it?”

“Quinn, when is it ever about anyone but Batman?” Ivy looked at her sympathetically and reached out her hand for support, “You can’t go back, he’ll just use and abuse you again.”

“I told ya, I ain’t goin back Red,” Harley snapped back. Ivy sighed and Harley moped. She hadn’t meant to take out her frustrations on her friend but it hurt hearing that she was pushed aside again for that stupid bat-brain. Just for once couldn’t it be about her and only her?

“Hey, what do you say we get out of here? Go have a bit of fun like we used to,” Ivy suggested, holding up her car keys, “Doesn’t have to be anything to serious, nothing that gets us on Batman’s radar that is.”

“I really shouldn’t Red…I don’t wanna cross that line ya know, one step to far and I’ll be a goner,” Even as the words slipped from her mouth Harley knew she would go, she was hungry for something more than being just a psychiatrist, “But…if the B-man isn’t gonna notice…”

“That’s the Harley I know,” Ivy winked, “There’s this new lab that’s opened up and I heard they have a rare, one of a kind plant I’ve been dying to get my hands on. A quick in and out, just like old times.”

“You and ya damn plants,” Harley laughed and picked up her bat, “As long as I get to smash a couple of things I’ll be one happy clown.”

“Let’s get going then,” Harley followed Ivy out of the apartment and to her car which was parked in the underground car park. Her stomach was a flutter with excitement and she twisted her bat in her hands. Ivy looked over to her and blew her a cheeky kiss before adjusting her mirror.

The lab was on the other side of Gotham and it gave the two friends plenty of time to catch up and joke around. Ivy had far better stories than Harley did which wasn’t that surprising considering the straight arrowed path she had been on. Ivy seemed proud of her for trying but the fact they were already making plans for a bigger night only solidified what Harley had been pondering on the past week. So she was slipping but she was the happiest she had been in a while and right now that’s all she cared about.

“Right, so there should only be two guards at the front, I’ll take care of them both and you slip in and get rid of the camera’s,” Ivy parked her car and threw the keys in a bush nearby, Harley quirked an eyebrow at her, holding her bat behind her neck with both hands lazily, “What? it’s not like I brought the thing.”

“So what do we do once we get in there? I’m guessing we’ll be finding an access key somewhere,” Ivy nodded and pulled one out from in between her breasts, “How long have you been planning this for Red?”

“Awhile, It’s a two-person job. I was going to ask Catwoman but she’s been AWOL for quite some time, probably pissed the bat rejected her advances a while ago,” Ivy chuckled, pleased that she wasn’t the only one Batman had said no to lately, “I reckon he’s got a new thing so she’s split town.”

“Pity, kitty had claws and it woulda been fun to see a fight go down,” Harley wistfully mentioned, “We should prob do this thing, can’t ruin my squeaky clean image.”

“Alright, _Quinzel_ ,” Ivy smirked, teasing her about her lie.

“Yeah, yeah Red, mock me all you want but we’re on a time limit here,” Harley kicked the gravel under her boots and they made their way down the path.

“I can’t see the guards,” Ivy frowned, peering over the fence and jumping a few meters down behind the guard tower, “I think we should stick together, somethings not right.”

“B-man?” Harley questioned slightly worried. If he saw her here, everything would be ruined.

“No, there’s no way, this is to small time for him and I know for a fact Two-face is attempting to hit Gotham bank tonight, this has got to be someone else...,” Ivy snuck around to the entrance of the tower and Harley followed, only to find the two guards sprawled on the ground with two, large smiles on their faces, “Shit.”

“Let’s get outta here Red,” Harley immediately regretted her decision to come but Ivy had her eyes narrowed.

“I can’t, I need that plant and I can’t risk that psycho destroying it,” Harley clasped onto the back of her leotard, her eyes pleading.

“It’s just a plant Red- “Ivy slapped her hand away quickly. Harley knew when it came to plants Ivy’s maternal instincts kicked it; she had sat through many rants about how he human race were killing her babies with pollution, deforestation and extinction.

“It’s not just a plant, it’s the only one left on the planet and I need it to finish my new pheromones,” Harley sighed, there was no way she could say no to Red when she was like this, “You get out of here.”

“Where you go Red I go, we’ll crack a few goons heads open and make a couple of omelettes while we’re at it,” Harley stood up, there was no point in hiding if the Joker had already done their work for them.

“You sure Quinn? What if you run into him?” Harley shrugged.

“I’ll deal with it then,” Ivy nodded and the two woman made their way into the building with straight backs, there was no way they were going to let a man get in their way.

The first couple of goons were easy pickings, a bunch of bumbling idiots who were completely inept at their tasks. Harley gave them extra hard whacks for letting Mistah J down like that which caused Ivy to look at her worriedly but didn’t say anything. The next two that came were trouble. Harley let out a low whistle as she looked up the first one. He was a large thing, his face painted to mimic a disgruntled clown and a chainsaw in hand. The other one had an AK pointed straight at them and he didn’t waste time letting out a few rounds causing them to duck and cover. Harley looked to Ivy who was already eyeing up the big one and she had to agree, she wasn’t suited much for that kind of fight with just a bat and a gun; it would take a few hits for him to go down and it was time they didn’t have.

Harley used one hand to throw herself out from behind their hiding place and back flipped towards the one holding the AK who was having an issue with it jamming on him. To preoccupied he looked up just as she landed on his shoulders and spun around, throwing him to the ground under her quickly. Harleys fist connected with his face and the man yelled out, his nose now sitting at an awkward angle.

“You know, you look better that way,” Harley giggled, “Especially if you tilt a ya head like this, it’s like one of them fancy paintings you see in an art gallery.”

“Quinn, quit messing around before he’s alerted!” Red yelled as her vines slowly constricted the behemoth of a man.

“Pity, I was kinda getting into this art thing,” Harley lifted her bat and lowered it down to the ground, only to have it shot out of her hand. She looked up alarmed, before getting a swift kick to the face and she groaned.

“Harley!” Ivy yelled out, attempting to make her way over.

“Move and I’ll shoot her, you over-grown plant,” The gun was pressed into her head, the barrel still warm from before and burning slightly, “This sure is a surprise, I was under the impression you were done with all this Harleykins.”

“It’s a one off,” Harley replied, staring up into those dazzling green eyes. She could hear her blood pumping in her ears and for a moment all she saw was him.

“Ha! That’s what they all say,” The joker stood up but kept his gun trained on her, “I knew you were just putting on a show.”

“Think what ya want Mistah J, this is a one-time gig,” Harley shifted her jaw around to make sure nothing was broken when she finally snapped out of her trance, “What are ya doing here anyway, ain’t like you to be involved with plants, that’s Red’s thing.”

“He’s here for the plant, it’s worth a fortune to the right person,” Ivy snapped out angrily, her vines twisting and displaying her aggression.

“Yahtzee!” The joker exclaimed, “You’re not as dim as I thought you were shrub.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Ivy growled out, crossing her arm’s under her bust after taking a deep breath to calm down and accepting the stalemate they seemed to be in.

“That doesn’t explain why you’re here Harls, get bored of your billionaire boy toy already?” At the mention of Bruce Harley shut her mouth, she didn’t need to give him any ammo to use against her later.

“I convinced her,” Ivy spoke up, “Catwoman’s gone off in a huff since Batman turned her away and I needed an extra person.”

“Is that so…,” The Joker smiled widely before clapping his hands together, “Bravo Harley, really, job well done.”

“What ya talkin bout Mistah J, I ain’t done nothing,” Harley asked confused, causing the Joker to stop and look at her with glee.

“You really have no idea what you’ve done do you kiddo,” he reached out his hand and patted her cheek before taking a step towards her, “Aren’t you precious.”

“No…,” Ivy gasped out, eyes wide, “No, it isn’t…it couldn’t…”

“Oh, I assure you _plant_ , I believe it to be true,” Joker leant forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips. It caused Harley to sigh and her hands to tremble, “It seems our little Harleykins here has caught Batsy’s eye.”

“I don’t believe you,” Ivy snapped but there was evident concern in her voice. The joker didn’t turn his attention away from Harley, he merely ran his hand down her side, feeling the smooth skin between her pants and corset.

“I do have to say Harls, I’m liking this new look of yours, much better than that cutesy thing you used to prance around in,” his hand slipped further down to her belt and he played with the buckle. Harley trembled as he tugged at it, loosening it slightly and sending a warm flush below, “Would you do anything for me?”

“Harley, don’t!” Ivy went to step forward but the Joker pointed his gun at her, his other hand still on Harley’s belt and Harley let out a small whimper of disappointment.

“Don’t make me de-thorn you,” he snapped, annoyed that he had been disrupted. Ivy shut up pretty quickly and just looked on uneasily, “Come on, tell daddy what he wants to hear.”

“I…I…,” Harley couldn’t focus. She had spent years dreaming of having her Puddin’ touch her again and he was so close to her. Everything about him was intoxicating from the scent of gunpowder to his creamy white skin that matched hers perfectly.

“Come on Harls, it can be like old times, me and you taking on the big bad Bat,” he pressed her, hovering his lips against her ear before taking the lobe into his mouth.

“Only…,” Harley took a deep breath just as Bruce had told her and she let out a shaky answer.

“I’ve lost my interest in that playboy,” she forced herself to step back, her whole body trembling and threating to give out as his teeth nipped her as she retreated.

“You…you swear Puddin’?” His whole face lit up with a grin that was only reserved for her and Harley felt herself melt under it. This was her Puddin’, her Mistah J. It was going to be them against B-man just like it used to be.

“I swear on my dead, black heart,” The Joker bowed, holding one hand over his heart before looking up, “Now come to Daddy like a good little girl.”

“Not…not until Red gets her plant…,” she looked to Ivy, knowing full well her friend was disappointed in her and she wanted to hand the plant over in an attempt to say sorry.

“Jezz Harls, you drive a hard bargain,” The Joker groaned. He waved one of his henchmen over who had a small black pot in his hand with a small bud sticking out of it, “Give it to the plant worshipper over there.”

“Yes boss,” the man handed Ivy the plant who held it to her chest protectively as she looked it over.

“What are you waiting around for, you got what you wanted,” Ivy didn’t budge and the Jokers grin dropped quickly, “You’re trying my patience.”

“I’m not leaving without Harley,” Ivy stood up straight. Everyone knew that she could take on the Joker by herself, she wasn’t an easy opponent but she was more concerned for Harleys well-being.

“She stays, we have some catching up to do and you’re cramping my style,” Ivy wavered, not really sure what to do. She didn’t want to leave her best friend alone with the abusive psychopath but she wasn’t going to force Harley to go with her either, “Harley, tell your friend you’ll be fine.”

“Sorry Mistah J, I’m gonna have to rain check on your party invitation,” Harley stepped back a few more paces and slowly crouched down, picking up her baseball bat. Joker’s demeanour shifted in a second and his smile turned into a feral scowl at being double-crossed, “Me and Red are a team Mistah J, I ain’t gonna back out on her now.”

“Well look what we have here,” he bit out lowly, “You traitorous little minx.”

“I-I don’t want any trouble Mistah J,” Harley put her hand behind her back, clasping the handle of her gun, “Don’t make me shoot ya, Puddin’”

“That’s a good one Harls,” Joker began a slow chuckle and took a step towards her as she kept moving backwards towards the door, “You could never shoot me.”

“I will if I have to,” Harley pulled out the gun and shakily raised it, “I’m gonna go now.”

“You leave when I say you leave,” he growled out, “We still have business.”

“Sorry Mistah J, your cards been declined and I ain’t giving any goods away for free this time,” She looked over to Ivy who had a smug smirk on her face as she joined Harley, standing next to her with her vines twisting around her. Joker eyed them glumly and raised his hands but his eyes never left Harleys wary blue ones.

“You two broads have put me in a real spot,” he sighed, “I do have one question before you go, you at least owe me that before you run of with my bank roll.”

“What are you playing at Joker, you’ll let us go quietly if we answer a dumb question? Are you taking a page from Nigma’s books now?” Ivy’s vines started to creep towards the purple suited maniac.

“No, I just want to know one thing. Come on Harls, amuse me just this once,” Harley bit her lip but nodded her head slowly, “How does it feel to be Batsy’s pet project, to be the shining beckon of hope and rehabilitation?”

“I aint…,” The Joker smiled wickedly and Ivy grabbed her hand.

“Do you really think that Bruce Wayne cares for you? The broken, damaged Harley Quinn, _my_ used goods? You do have to be quite delusional to believe all the lies he’s feed you just to keep you being the cities good, little, prized example.” Harley clenched her fist around the handle of her bat, “Roll over Harleen, sit Harleen, Dress up pretty _Dr Quinzel_ and spin, spin, spin.”

“Enough Joker,” Ivy stood in front of the enraged blonde, arms out wide and the creeping vines wrapping around the Jokers legs.

“You’re Gothams biggest Joke Harls! I do have to say I’m slightly disappointed in you, but we all know how easy you are to _manipulate_.” Harley closed her eyes and took a deep breath, just like Bruce had told her to do. She pictured her inhaling colours, pictured them swirling down into her lungs before it turned pure white and was exhaled back out. Her hand slowly unclenched after a while and when she opened her eyes once she was calm.

“Let’s go Red, We got what we came for,” Harley spun on her heel and walked out, past Jokers goons who was looking to the clown prince of crime for some kind of direction. He stayed where he was, kept in place by Ivy who followed Harley out with a shocked look on her face. The Joker began to laugh, a wild hysterical laugh, the one he only reserved for B-man when he had nearly pushed him to breaking point.  

“I’ll be seeing you Harls!”

………………………………….

Alfred hesitated as he watched it all play out on screen in front of him. Bruce was busy with Two-face and he had asked him to keep in contact if anything else popped up, especially if Joker was involved. His finger hovered over the communicator button before pulling it back. He was saddened that Harleen had been dabbling in her old life again but she had just walked away from the Joker. The move was surprising and he shifted his hand over to another set of keys, rewinding the footage to where Harleen and Poison Ivy had appeared. Highlighting the feed, he took a deep breath before closing his eyes and deleting the evidence. Bruce didn’t need to know, he wouldn’t understand.

He looked to the main monitor, watching Bruce take down Two-face with ease. Two-face was a decent adversary but his coin-toss always left Bruce the advantage, giving him a window of time to act. Two-face struggled and Bruce elbowed him in the face, knocking him unconscious. Alfred stilled, there was no need for that. He rewound the footage and saw Two-faces mouth moving just before hand and Alfred noticed Bruce’s shoulders tense. He was showing weakness and that was never a good thing.

 _“Alfred, alert Gordon that Two-face has been apprehended,”_ Alfred looked to the right screen, where police cars were in focus, screaming down downtown Gotham in Bruce’s direction.

“All ready on route Sir,” he replied, “There’s also been an incident down at the biodiversity lab.”

 _“Poison Ivy.”_ Bruce stated. Alfred watch him leave the bank quickly and head towards the bat-mobile.

“Actually Sir, it was our clown friend,” He knew Bruce would be furious, Joker was their top priority right now and they had missed a chance to throw him back in Arkham.

 _“You should have told me,”_ Bruce gritted out, his frustration bleeding into his calm tone, _“Is he still on site?”_

“Gone sir, I’m afraid he slipped out just as I noticed,” There was a paused before the line cut out and Alfred knew Bruce wasn’t impressed with him.


	6. Chapter 6

One thing that Harleen could be good at when she wanted to be was avoidance. It turned out though that Bruce wasn’t a man that she couldn’t avoid. After numerous missed calls and a couple of rescheduled dinner dates he had shown up at her home. He didn’t say a word as she let him in and went to make him a drink, he looked at the cup before looking up to the top shelf above her microwave. Harleen sighed, he must be pretty wound up if he was wanting something harder. She grabbed her cheap bottle of whiskey, ignoring the more expensive bottle she had hidden in the back that was Joker’s favourite. She hadn’t intended to buy it but she wasn’t one to be a poor hostess if he ever showed up.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he stated as she placed the glass in his hand.

“I’ve just been busy,” she offered, “Clients to see, friends to visit.”

“Friends?” he questioned, taking a sip of his drink, “What friends?”

“I do have friends Bruce,” Harleen chuckled, “Sure not many but I’ve decided to get out a bit more lately, you’ve been a bit AWOL yourself you know.”

“I always keep in contact Harleen,” he retorted, eyeing her suspiciously, “How is Pamela?”

“How should I know?” Harleen stood up nervously. Bruce reached out and grabbed her wrist gently, “All right, so I’ve been a bit lonely and went to visit her a few times. If you must know we sat around drinking boxed wine and watched a couple of black and white rom-coms.”

“You lied to me,” he swirled his drink around in his glass. Harleen felt guilt bubble up in her stomach and she held her hand over it.

“Bruce, I need at least one friend and I don’t fit in with anyone else and besides, if you remember I told you she hates the Joker and he hates her. I’m safe there,” she shrugged, “Can you cut me some slack for once?”

“All it takes is one bad decision Harleen,” Harleen yanked her hand out of his grip and took his glass after he downed it, “I don’t understand why you couldn’t come to me if you wanted someone to talk to.”

“Talk girl with you?” Harleen chuckled, “Sorry Bruce, but you don’t really fit the requirements for girl time,” she pointed to his pants.

“You do have a point there,” Bruce agreed. Harleen cocked her head to the side and nervously brushed her loose fringe behind her ear as she bit her lip.

“Bruce…do you think…if I gave something to you that you could pass it onto Gordon?”

“Depends what it is,” she gave him back a full drink as she sat down and pulled out a letter. She had been sitting on this letter all week, not sure whether or not it was the right thing to do. Bruce eyed it, picking it up and flipping it over, “For Batman?”

“Please don’t be mad…,” Harleen shrunk down in her seat like a child about to be told off, “Red’s been telling me things, things about the Joker, I thought…I thought I could pass it on to Batman, help him out and all.”

“Are you sure?” Bruce’s gaze softened as he tucked the letter into his suit jacket, “Is this why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“Yes…and no…,” Harleen shuffled her feet, “I knew you wouldn’t like that I’ve been hanging around Red and I just didn’t know how to tell you, plus I knew you wouldn’t like me poking my nose into what the Joker was up to.”

“I’m not happy about it Harleen but I do understand,” Bruce sighed, “Don’t push yourself too far, I’m not going to tell you what you can and can’t do but I am allowed to worry.”

“Naw Bruce, next you’ll be telling me you love me,” she chuckled jokingly. Bruce shifted his eyes downwards and ran a hand through his hair.

“One day,” he poked back softly. Harleen sat up straight, not sure what to say back. Sure they were just messing around but there was something more in his tone.

“Well…um…,” Harleen stumbled over her words, trying to find some way to divert the conversation, “Are you planning on sticking around?”

“I can’t, there was a break in at the Biodiversity Lab my company owns. I need to get down there and assess the damage so I can sign off on the repairs and insurance claims,” Harleen kept her face blank, refusing to show that she knew anything about it. There was no evidence she had been there, Ivy had called on Nigma to wipe any footage after they had legged it, “Tomorrow? We can spend the day together.”

“I’ll clear my schedule,” Harleen beamed, “Anything in particular you want to do?”

“I’ll pick you up at eight and surprise you,” Bruce put his empty glass down and stood up. Harleen stood to, leading him to the door. She stood to the side, staring up at him as he looked down at her. He grasped her face softly and leaned down. He kissed her slowly, taking his time as if he was afraid she would disappear in his arms. Harleen sighed and melted into his chest, a small, happy smile on her lips, “Sleep well and stay out of trouble.”

……………………………..

Bruce pulled out the envelope when he was certain her heard Harleen lock her door. This had been a surprise, he had a sinking feeling that Harleen had been going somewhere and that it was probably to Poison Ivy’s but he had never imagined her to start gaining intel on the Joker, let alone pass it on to him. It made him wonder that maybe he could trust her with other things. The thought of her in a Batgirl outfit was an interesting prospect. She had the skill set to pull it off well but he wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from going over that edge. He knew that she wanted something more in her life, that she was growing increasingly bored and that drove her towards the eco-terrorist and potentially criminal activity again. Maybe if he gave her another outlet he could direct her towards heroism instead. He got into his limo with Alfred in the front as driver. His old friend looked at him from the rear view mirror and he raised the letter.

“An interesting turn of event’s Master Bruce,” Alfred commented, “What does it say?”

“I haven’t read it yet,” Bruce replied, opening the envelope gently. He unfolded the page and noticed that the scrawl was a bit messy with some parts etched harder than others. Some words were blurred, a sight ink ring that made him conclude she had been crying when writing it.

_‘Dear B-man._

_I know I should probably be addressing you as Batman now but I thought, what the heck, for nostalgia’s sake._

_I’m sure you are aware by now that Mistah J, which from this point forward I’ll refer to him as Joker for my sanity, is up to something big and it’s something that concerns me._

_I’m not sure why I felt the need to blabber what I know to you, to be honest it’s quiet strange betraying him in such a way but since I’m the issue I feel that I owe you something, even if it is information._

_The past few weeks Joker has been taking back territories, hiring new thugs and obtaining new sources of income although I’m sure you would be aware of this by now._

_What concerns me is that his focus is no longer Bruce Wayne, it’s you. Not like that’s anything new though._

_He’s recruiting, and not his normal level thugs, he’s calling on anyone and everyone. Riddler, Scarecrow, Ivy (although she has declined), I’m not sure who else, you’ll have to use your imagination for that._

_~~Joker is convinced that to get to you~~ _

_The Joker believes that I’m the key to draw you in, ~~that~~_

_That you are interested in me romantically. Hilarious, I know, his levels of insanity must be at its peak._

_I’m not sure what you have done to lead him to this conclusion but he’s cooking something up and he’s trying to use me at the centre to do it._

_Be wary B-man, keep your eyes open._

_Harley._

Bruce ignored the red kiss on the side and that she had signed it as Harley. He even ignored that she had called the Joker, Mistah J and that the note hinted that she had probably come across him at some point without him around. What he did focus on was that he had screwed up. He had hoped that Joker had missed his lapse in façade when he had mentioned Harleen but the clown was more observant than he had given him credit for. Now Joker had a stacked deck and Harleen was in more danger than he previously thought. If he had figured out that he could use her, Bruce wasn’t sure what the madman would do. This was no longer about gaining back what he claimed was property, it was about taking down Batman.

“She was there wasn’t she, at the lab?” Bruce looked to Alfred, “You deleted the footage.”

“I did sir, I wasn’t sure you would understand,” Alfred looked apologetic but he stood his ground, “While she aided and abided in a crime with her friend, she came across the Joker and dealt with him rather nicely.”

“She didn’t go with him?” he asked sceptically, not sure if he should trust his girlfriend any longer.

“No, she played him at his own game and walked out with her friend, I believe you should take that into consideration when you make your decision,” Bruce laughed, of course Alfred knew what he had been thinking, “She would make a wonderful batgirl if I do say so myself.”

“You think that we can trust her?” he asked, trusting Alfred’s views.

“I feel that if we don’t, she may go the other way,” Exactly what Bruce had been thinking, “Should I begin making an outfit for her?”

“That might be wise,” Bruce looked out the window and up to Harleys apartment, she was leaning over the balcony, staring off towards the old warehouses down on the docks, “I’ll give her a chance.”

……………….

“So, where are we going?” Harleen asked as she opened the passenger door of Bruce’s car, slightly surprised to see that Alfred wasn’t driving them.

“It’s a secret,” Bruce looked at his mirrors, checking he was free to go without hitting any oncoming cars.

“Come on, tell me!” Harleen was excited. Bruce had never surprised her before, probably due to the fact she had sniffed out any surprise he had ever organised before he had the chance to spring them on her. This time though he had covered his tracks surprisingly well.

“You really think I’m going to spoil the one time I actually get to surprise you?” Harleen pouted and blinked her lashes, “You know that doesn’t work on me.”

“Worth a shot,” the blonde laughed, enjoying the playfulness between them. Even though things had been a bit rocky lately today seemed lighter, “How about twenty questions?”

“How about no,” He headed towards the middle of town and Harleen changed the radio station over to a music channel. She hated how he listened to talk back shows, it made him seem so much older then he actually was.

“Is it in Gotham?” she tried again, noticing they were heading towards one of the bridges that led out of the city.

“Not this time,” Bruce looked down at his watch, “It’s not far, more of a safety precaution then anything.”

“Jezz, you’d think it’s some top secret mission or something,” she grumbled under her breath, watching the water ripple below them, “It’s been so long since I’ve left the city.”

“I know,” They crossed the bridge and travelled a few miles out, towards a forest area. Harleen pressed her face against the window. She had never realised this was out here before and she hit Bruce in the arm when she saw a deer.

“Look!” he didn’t smile but the creases around his eyes wrinkled, “What’s out here?”

“Something special,” Bruce pulled off onto a dirt road and parked in a clearing. It was a meadow of some sorts that didn’t fit the outskirts of Gotham. Harleen felt her heart stop when she noticed what was in the middle. Her sister was sitting in the middle of a blanket, a picnic basket to the side and holding a toddler in her lap.

“I remember you said you missed your niece, I rung your sister and she said she would happily come out,” Harleen was gobsmacked and she bolted out of the car, running towards them.

“Lucy!” the little girl looked up, her bright, emerald green eyes looking towards her happily. She clapped her hands and stray blonde strands fell in front of her face, “Oh Lucy, Aunty Harley’s missed you.”

“Hello Harleen,” her sister greeted warmly. It wasn’t well known that she had a sister, well, sister-in-law; she had gotten rid of the records due to Lucy.

“Elisa,” she embraced her sister, tears in her eyes, “I can’t believe this.”

“You can thank Bruce,” Elisa was a tanned woman with long, curly brown hair and deep set hazel eyes, “Nice man you have there sis, much better than…”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Harleen leant down and picked Lucy up who had a car in her hand with a pink, frilly tutu on it, “Heya Lucy, what ya got there.”

“A car Aunty Harley! And look, I made it pretty but it still goes fast!” Harleen picked the car out of her hand and inspected it.

“You’ve got a good eye munchkin,” Harleen turned to Bruce who was standing off to the side, watching the interaction with a pleased smile on his face. She waved him over happily, “Lucy, this is Bruce.”

“B-Brue,” the little girl tried.

“Close enough,” Bruce chuckled, “She has stunning eyes.”

“Gets them from her dad,” Harleen replied proudly, “Don’t ya kiddo.”

“Your husband must be very proud,” Bruce smiled at Elisa and Harleen tensed.

“He is, says she’s too much like his sister though although I’m not sure Barry thinks that’s a bad thing,” Elisa stood up and dusted herself off, holding out her hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, I’m Elisa, Harleens sister-in-law.”

“Pleasure,” Bruce released her hand and looked at the basket, “I hope what Alfred made is okay for Lucy.”

“Don’t worry about it, she’s not overly fussy as long as it tastes good,” Harleen interjected, holding the car in the air and pretending to make it spin, “Isn’t that right my little princess.”

“It should be fine,” Elisa smiled, “It’s lovely of you to set this all up, it’s been far too long since Lucy has seen her a _unty_.” The brunet stressed the ending and Harleen narrowed her eyes. She got the point, she had dumped her daughter on them and then disappeared, visiting sporadically. It’s not like she could have looked after her while locked up and the Joker had no idea about her which was for the best. She tried her hardest to visit when she could and it broke her heart to leave the little girl. If she had it her way she would have Lucy herself but it was just a pipe dream.

“Come on Lucy, let’s see what Al put together for us,” Harleen sat down, not letting go of the little girl who was a perfect blend between her and the Joker, “Look Lucy, a fruit salad for you!”

“Strawberries!” The little girl grabbed the container and Harleen removed the lid. Her small, dainty fingers fumbled through the fruit until she got the biggest strawberry and popped it in her mouth, the juice dribbling down her chin.

“What about me!” Harleen pouted. Lucy frowned and looked into the container.

“But I don’t wanna share,” Lucy replied, pulling the container away, “You can have yucky sandwiches.”

“Brat, just like ya dad,” she ruffled the girl’s hair and reached into the basket, pulling out a ham sandwich, “Good thing I like ham or I’d be stealing all your fruit.” Lucy poked her tongue out at her real mother, wriggling off of her lap to sit as far away as possible so that she couldn’t pinch anything.

“So, how did you two meet?” Elisa asked after a while, looking between Bruce and Harleen, “You aren’t exactly her usual type.”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing,” Harleen grumbled.

“We’ve known of each other for a while, I decided to help her out and we got close,” Bruce offered a wishy washy response and Harleen mentally thanked him. She didn’t like talking about Arkham around her daughter. The less she grew up knowing about it the better.

“Ah, so were you…well…you know,” Elisa looked uncomfortable and Harleen let out a loud laugh.

“No, this one is one hundred percent sane sis, never seen the inside of that place from the other side and I doubt he ever will,” Elisa looked relieved.

“It’s good to see you looking so healthy, maybe now you can see Lucy a bit more,” Elisa’s face lit up when she looked at the little girl. Elisa and her brother Barry were unable to have kids and when Harleen suggested they take Lucy they said yes immediately but they did have one condition and that was to tell her the truth when she was old enough to understand, “She misses you.”

“I miss her,” Harleen replied sadly. She had always wanted a family and she had gotten one; Harleen just wasn’t allowed to keep it. The Joker wouldn’t take her, he had no need for children and the poor girl would be a walking target if anyone found out.

“Barry misses you to, he wanted to come today but he couldn’t get time off work,” Elisa stood up and picked up Lucy who was now covered in fruit juice and she let out a small, amused sigh, “I don’t know why I bother putting her in new outfits, they all end up the same.”

“Did you get the gift I sent her last month?” Harleen spoke up. Bruce kept quiet, watching them as if he was trying to piece something together but also enjoying seeing Harleen so relaxed and happy.

“The bear?” Harleen nodded, “Doesn’t sleep without it, it’s already loosing buttons from how tightly she hugs it.”

“I’m glad,” Harleen finished her sandwich and lay down on the blanket, looking up the clouds. The sun irritated her skin a bit but she still enjoyed the warmth.

They spent the next couple of hours catching up, with Elisa getting to know Bruce while Harleen ran after a giggling toddler. Together they caught a few butterflies and Lucy spent a good half an hour explaining what she had learnt at her day-care and the process of how they turned from a caterpillar, to cocoon, then to a butterfly. Harleen was happy to listen, enjoying her daughter’s vibrant energy and childish outlook. She was more than happy to pretend in that moment that this was normal, that this was her everyday life.

“We need to get going soon Harleen,” Elisa spoke softly, saddened to cut their time short, “My parents are coming up today and if we don’t hit the road we won’t be back home until dark.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem,” Harleen forced a smile onto her face and sat up. She grabbed her little mini me and buried her face into her gold locks. Lucy hugged her tightly back, her bottom lip trembling, “I’ll see ya real soon Lucy and I’ll bring you another bear to.”

“I wanna stay with you Aunty Harley,” The little girl sobbed pulling away. It wasn’t until a small hand cupped her face that she realised she was crying to, “Don’t be sad, Aunty.”

“I’m not sad lil puddin’, I’m happy that I got to see you,” the little girl smiled widely and it made Harleen happy that it was a warm and gentle one, one of pure innocence and nothing like the Jokers. Lucy was pure, untouched by their chaos thanks to her brother and sister-in-law.

“Send me heaps of letters okay! Mum reads them to me every night,” Harleen gave Elisa a thankful smile and she gave Lucy a bone crushing hug, picking her up as she did before she spun her around. Lucy let out a gleeful shout and Harleen slowed down before attacking the girls chubby face with kisses.

“You be good for ya mum alright, don’t drive her to crazy and give your dad a cuddle for me when you see him,” Harleen reluctantly handed her to Elisa, her hands shaking and no matter how hard she tried to keep a smile on her face it wavered.

“Call a bit more alright,” Elisa pulled her into a one armed hug and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, “We worry about you.”

“I will, I swear,” Bruce wrapped a comforting arm around her and Elisa nodded to him.

“Look after her, she’s important to a lot of people,” Bruce nodded, squeezing Harleen tighter against him.

“You have my word,” Bruce replied. Elisa placed a kiss on his cheek too before giving Lucy a small boop on the nose.

“Say goodbye Lucy,” the little girl gave them another bright smile and a large wave while Elisa walked back to her car. Bruce sighed, shaking his head before rubbing Harleen’s back gently.

“She’s yours isn’t she?” he asked. Harleen stiffened before relaxing, watching as her sister-in-law buckled Lucy in her seat.

“What gave it away?” she tried to laugh but her throat was choked with a sob.

“She’s a spitting image of you and nothing of Elisa,” Bruce stated, “Does he know?”

“No, and he’s never going to,” Harleen lent into him as they watched the back of Elisa’s car, “He never wanted a kid and she would just get in his way. I’d keep her but…”

“She’s a target,” Bruce finished her sentence as her voice cut out, “You did the right thing, you put her first and look at how she’s turning out.”

“She looked happy right?” she croaked, holding back a sob, “She’s happy and I still get to be in her life, even if I get called Aunty Harley and not mum.”

“She was happy Harleen and she will continue to be happy surrounded by people who love her,” she knew he was right. Even if deep down she wanted to chase after the car and rip her daughter out of it only to never let go. Her daughter was normal and she deserved a normal life. She didn’t need to be caught up in anything to do with Gotham, the further away she was the better.

“You know what, I did one thing right and that was her. I’ve screwed up everything else but I can proudly say I brought something good and decent to the world, that I had left something other than madness,” Harleen looked down and saw a white piece of paper hidden under the picnic basket. She crouched down and picked it up before crushing it to her chest, her tears now flowing freely down her face. It was a picture Lucy had drawn while she had waited for Harleen to show up. It was of a butterfly, brightly coloured and underneath was a big letter H and a few scribbled attempts at writing the other letters that made up her name.


	7. Chapter 7

Not a lot surprised Harleen anymore. She had seen the world through the eyes of a madman, fallen for him and come out the other side mentally scarred and mad herself. She saw the world differently, she always had as she had learnt from a young age there were different ways to get what she wanted. If there was a distinct turning point in her life though it would be meeting Guy. Sure she had messed with him a bit, caused him to commit murder and eventually ended up killing him after he couldn’t live with the guilt. Meeting him though had introduced her to the idea of chaos which lead her straight into the arms of the Joker.

So, when she found a note on her door, stuck with a batarang and telling her to meet him on the roof she was, for once, truly surprised. She knew she should have expected it after giving him that letter but Harleen hadn’t expected him to be so…courteous. She actually thought he would break in and drag her back to Arkham. Harleen ran her finger over the bat shape metal before grabbing it, pulling it out of her door and ignoring the stinging it caused as it cut into her flesh.

Was she an idiot for meeting him? Probably. But she wasn’t known to make the best decisions and it’s not like she had given him any real reason to haul her ass back to the asylum; with the exception of the few jobs she pulled with Ivy. Idiot or not, Harleen decided it would be better for her to go to him rather than the other way around.

The air was bitter and chilled as she used the fire escape on the outside of the building to reach the roof. Luckily she had grabbed her dressing gown and it broke the frost from reaching her skin and kept her snug. Her teeth still chattered and her nose was slightly pink but a hot chocolate could fix that in a few minutes. Hoisting herself up she felt a gloved hand grasp her wrist to help her. Harleen’s eyes immediately went to a pair of black boots and trailed up the grey outfit. It was odd being so close to it without having his fist’s connecting with her face and torso.

“Nice outfit,” he offered, eyeing her the same way she had done to him. Harleen wrapped her dressing gown around her tighter.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” she started slowly, “What do you want with me?”

“Your letter,” he held out the envelope, “I want to know why.”

“It explained why,” her hair was in a loose bun and the wind was tugging it out, causing strands to flick her in the eyes and make them water, “I feel like I owe you something for causing you trouble.”

“You’re not the one causing trouble,” standing under Batman’s gaze made her shiver involuntary. He was extremely intimidating and up close it was even worse. Harleen felt like confessing everything if it meant getting of the roof and away from him, “I need your help.”

“My help? I’m out of the game B-man,” she laughed, “Nothing I can do to help you now.”

“I think you can,” He turned and motioned for her to follow him. Reluctantly she did, not really feeling like she had a choice. On the side of the building was a duffle bag, he picked it up and threw it at her.

“Hey, what’s the big idea,” she growled out as she clumsily caught it, cringing at how heavy it actually was.

“Open it,” she did as she was told and placed it on the ground, unzipping it before stepping back as if she had been burnt.

“What the hell is that,” she kept her distance, eyeing the black leather with distaste, “I thought the Joker had some bad punch lines but this…this tops them all.”

“I need help and I know you’re bored,” he threw a couple of photos at her and Harleen stared down at the one under her foot. It was of her, dressed as Harley Quinn two nights ago on a small errand at one of Penguins clubs, “I’m offering you another way.”

“You want me to be your new sidekick,” Harleen let of a soft laugh, “Why would I do a thing like that.”

“Because you need something to keep you from going off the deep end. Right now you’re only messing around with crooks but if you continue we both know where you’ll end up. This way you get to do the same thing but be on the other side for once,” she crept towards the bag, slightly intrigued with his offer.

“What’s the catch B-man?” she lifted the suit out. It was a two piece like her Harley Quinn outfit but all in black. The utility belt was red and laying in the bottom of the bag was a red mask, similar to her first mask she had worn when she broke the Joker out of Arkham.

“I figured you wouldn’t go for the ears,” he attempted to joke, still watching her as if she could lash out at him.

“You got that right,” Harleen ran her hand over the fabric. It was well made and felt a lot softer than the leather she was used to.

“It’s Kevlar based,” her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Why does it feel so soft then?” she asked.

“I have my ways,” Harleen chuckled, of course, he was Batman after all. The impossible was his speciality. She picked up the top, it was long sleeved leotard piece with a large, red bat shape in the middle, “It would be best to hide your skin, it would be a giveaway to anyone who knows you.”

“You know what you are asking of me don’t you? To turn my back of people who took me in when everyone else had shunned me, they are my family, even if I’m trying to go down a different path,” she grew angry that he even thought for a second she would join him, “What would you have me do? Drag them off to Arkham and leave them there to rot?”

“No, I’m asking you to try it out instead of turning back to crime. You won’t be facing your friends, Batgirl will be,” Harleen shoved the outfit back into the duffle and slung it over her shoulder.

“I’m guessing you have rules,” she asked, knowing this deal had a catch to it.

“A few,” he nodded.

“Lay em on me B-man, I ain’t got all night,” they sized each other up again, attempting to figure out if either of them could trust this arrangement.

“No killing-,” he started, causing her to snort.

“I already know that one,” she drawled.

“I mean it Quinn, we do not kill,” his tone turned sharp and she winced, “You listen to instructions, no going rouge or you’ll end up getting killed.”

“I can hold my own,” Harleen replied icily.

“You’re on the other side now Quinn, anyone we come up against will be out to kill you, they will pull out everything to do it while you restrain yourself, it’s an uneven fight from the start and you need to think ahead before diving in,” she had to give it to him, he did have a solid point. Facing him as Harley had always been erratic, even with a plan. Not once had she thought about his safety or restraining, she had fought with her all and rather blindly at some points.

“I get where you’re coming from, no running in half-cocked and angry, think first, act later,” Batman nodded and she swore she saw his lips tug into a slight smile.

“If at any point you feel that you are out of your depth you retreat and regroup and you do as I say, if I tell you to leave, you leave,” Harleen quirked her eye brow and a sly smile graced her features.

“Scared I’ll get hurt B-man?” she teased, “Who knew you cared so much.”

“It’s about getting out alive Quinn, you’re no use to me dead,” she waved her hand, brushing off his statement with ease. She could see he cared.

“Anything else? It’s freezing out here,” she sniffled and hugged the duffle to her chest trying to gain some more warmth.

“One last thing,” he took a step forward and Harleen pursed her lips, not sure what he was going to do, “Stay away from Joker.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice B-man, I’ve seen first-hand what he likes to do to your _friends_ , I have no intention of ending up like that, he’d probably bury me six feet under still alive and kicking,” Batman held out his hand and Harleen stared at it for a second, not really sure if she was one hundred percent okay with this arrangement. She took his hand though; she didn’t really have anything else to loose.

“Harleen, keep the jokes to a minimal, once you put on that suit you will be Batgirl, not Harley Quinn, one wrong word and you could be made,” she gave his hand a tighter squeeze then she should have, it was supposed to hurt but Batman didn’t show any sign of flinching.

……………………………

The first thing Harleen did when she put the suit on was open all the pouches in her utility belt. Most of them were empty which made her feel slightly duped but she did have a few toys to play with. Of course the token batarangs; red instead of black and slightly slimmer, smoke bombs, tear gas and what Harleen assumed was a grappling device. That meant the rest was hers to fill with a few unique items. It would be hard, she would have to think outside of the box and un-Harley Quinn like. She was happy that she got to keep the colour red, Harleen had a feeling Batman had thought she would like to keep something that represented her still.

The boots weren’t too bad either, no heel sadly but convenience over beauty and there was the potential chase in her future. The outfit had come with gloves as well, spiked like Batmans with a small panel that had a communications system and an ear piece she could pull out. She had played around with it earlier; Batman hadn’t replied but he probably figured that she was just playing around with her new toys. The mask was a problem though, it didn’t really do much to hide her face and her pearly white skin clashed. Her only answer to that problem would be a full coverage of makeup in her old skin colour.

It was odd staring at herself in the mirror once she was done. Her skin was a nice tan and her blonde hair was tucked to the sides in two neat plats. The black was slimming and she turned to the side, admiring herself and the way the red cape fell behind her smoothly. She didn’t scrub up too bad as Batgirl. She hardly even recognised herself.

Her wrist beeped and she pulled the ear piece out, leaning to the side to shove it in and cringing at how unnatural it felt. She fumbled with the touch buttons before finding the right one to reply and lifted it to her mouth.

“Alright B-man, I’m all suited up and ready to go,” she yelled out when his voice boomed in her ear and she frantically searched for the volume button.

 _“Don’t call me B-man, it’s a dead giveaway,”_ his gruff, yet smooth voice replied, _“I’m a few blocks over, take the rooftops.”_

“Over and out B,” she held back a small, excited squeal. Harleen had been looking forward to tonight ever since he had gotten in contact with her. The longer she had been left to dwell on the idea the more it had grown on her and she had come to the conclusion she could pound on people and not get in trouble. Of course she would follow B-man’s rules but it meant she didn’t have to sneak around anymore just to get some cheap thrills.

Harleen did as he instructed, jumping from rooftop to rooftop with ease, her agility and gymnastics training only failing her once or twice due to her rustiness. Eventually she reached her destination and she used a nearby fire escape to aid her with her decent, vaulting down into the passenger’s seat of the bat mobile with ease. Batman took no notice of her and flicked a few switches, the clear roof slid into place and Harleen whistled.

“Look at you and your fancy toy,” she leaned forward to look at the buttons, tempted to push every one just to find out what they did.

“Don’t even think about it,” he finally addressed her, turning the headlights on. The car rumbled to life and he looked at her, smirking when he saw her giddy smile, “How long have you been waiting to get in here?”

“Years B, too many years,” she really had. Any time she had been Harleen had been unconscious and had awoke in a cell at Arkham they reserved especially for her. It was a dream of hers, well, of Harley Quinn’s to steal it one day and take it for a spin, she would have given it back…maybe, “So what’s the gig?”

 “We need information. Two-face is in Arkham and he’s a key link in the chain,” Harleen made an ‘o’ motion with her mouth, she hadn’t realised she would be working the Joker case indirectly, “How close are you to him?”

“Not much, he got on Jokers nerves too much, territory issues and he considers Joker too unpredictable to work with on a normal basis,” she shrugged, “I’m guessing you want to know if I’d be alright facing him?”

“I actually wanted to know your angle on how to get him to talk, humanly that is,” Harleen tapped her chin, her brow creasing.

“His coin,” she replied, “It’s his prized possession right and its inanimate, just take it off him and promise to give it back once he gives us the dirt.”

“Simple, I like it,” he praised her. Harleen gave him a toothy grin, it was nice having a partner that didn’t shut down her ideas, “Are you going to be alright heading into Arkham?”

“Should be, there isn’t exactly anything in there that’s particularly triggering, it actually has a calming effect,” she could sense his eyes rake over her and Harleen couldn’t help but see how far she could push it, “Like what you see B?”

“Don’t get this confused Harleen, this is business only,” he growled out and Harleen wondered if he was annoyed that he had been snapped perving.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, I’m attached anyway and I ain’t no cheat so don’t go thinking I’m easy or anything,” she scolded, completely meaning every word. The one thing she prided herself on was her loyalty.

“We’re both on the same page then,” Batman grabbed the gear stick and pushed the clutch in, causing the batmobile to race forward. Harleen was impressed, she knew this thing was fast but it had a real kick to it to.

Arkham was just as she remembered it. A mismatched castle looking building crossed with a mansion that created some kind of twisted cross-breed that screamed of the personalities it held inside. To a sane person it was terror and insanity personified but to those who weren’t it was home. It stood as a perfect expression of their inner turmoil with poor upkeep, uncaring staff and lazy guards. It shouldn’t come as a shock to people that there were so many break outs considering it was essentially the patients that really ran it.

Commissionaire Gordon was waiting for them outside. Without him they wouldn’t be given access. He looked glum, a look Harleen hadn’t really seen on the older man’s face before. They exited the car, Harleen walking behind her new partner and she tried to figure out how to act. She thought back to all the times she had come across Batgirl and she shifted her composure to that of an over confident woman who was sure of herself.

“Who’s this?” Gordon asked, looking directly at her, “Taking on a partner again?”

“It’s a trial run,” Batman replied. Harleen didn’t say a word but gave a nod of acknowledgement which Gordon seemed to be pleased with.

“I hope this is worth it, you’re cutting into my night off,” They all knew no matter how much he complained that he jumped when Batman asked, he was too afraid of the consequences that could follow if he didn’t.

“I hope so to,” Batman walked side by side with Gordon and Harleen had to stop herself from skipping towards the front doors. It wouldn’t look good to have the new batgirl looking like she was at home here.

“Anything new on Joker?” Gordon pushed the door open and they slipped inside. Guards looked warily at them and Harleen recognised a few old faces. She fought the niggling to address them and kept staring straight ahead.

“That’s why we’re here, I was given some information that suggested Two-face had been working with him,” The metal grate groaned under their weight and Harleen stomped on it a few times, wondering if any of them were still loose out of old habit. Batman stared her down and she gave him a small shrug.

“You sure he will talk?” They stopped at the guard quarters and the men inside eyed them before letting them through. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence, frowned upon by the higher ups but the guards really didn’t get paid enough to stop Batman from coming and going.

“Possibly with the right motivation,” Harleen looked around as they continued to talk, not really interested in what Gordon had to say. She could almost feel the harsh bite of handcuffs as she wandered behind them, taking in each grate and every smear on the walls. Her shoulders relaxed completely and she lifted her hand, running it down the wall to feel the odd bullet hole.

“He’s in there, don’t take too long,” Gordon stood off to the side and Batman nudged his head to Harleen, indicating for her to follow him. Gordon kept his eyes on her, his curiosity peaking. The door clicked behind them and she spotted Two-face, his normal, handsome side turned towards them. His burnt hand flipped his coin and she watched his eyes follow it as it raised then fell into his palm.

“Who’s the girl?” was the first thing out of his mouth and he move his head at an odd angle to show the disfigured side. Harleen knew he was trying to intimidate her but she had seen it far too many times for it to have any impact, “Didn’t you learn from the last kid that tagged along with you?”

“What has Joker got planned Two-face?” Batman asked, going straight into it and not messing around. Two-face flipped his coin again and one side of his face leered.

“Heads I tell you, tails I go back to my cell without saying another word,” Harleen moved quickly, she crossed the room and snatched the coin mid-air and threw it to Batman, “What do you think you’re doing girl?”

“Making this go quicker,” she shrugged. Two-face gave her a once over look and a slight approval crossed his normal side.

“Smart girl, I like this one,” Harleen moved back to the other side of the room and leant against the wall, her part was done now she assumed, “What do you want to know?”

“His plans,” Batman asked again.

“Same old, same old, mess with you, get his ass handed to him and end up back up in here,” Two-face offered, “Didn’t really ask much, all I got told was to rile you up.”

“Why?” Batman sat down in the seat opposite him.

“Test his theory, he’s convinced you’re after his girl,” the disfigured mobster wiggled his eyebrow at Batman, “Not sure whose crazier, you or him at this point.”

“You have to know more than that,” Batman reached forward and grabbed the front of his prison garb. Harleen pursed her lips, Batman was acting strange, sure he could be a bit rough but he was acting a bit on the desperate side.

“He’s got the upper hand on you doesn’t he? Found a weakness and you’re afraid he’s going to exploit it,” Two-face placed his hand over Batman’s and pulled it off him, “So this is what it’s like to see you afraid.”

“He isn’t afraid,” Harleen spoke up, pushing herself off the wall with a calm confidence, “He’s just over Jokers bullshit games.”

Two-face turned his attention to her, “Where did you find this one, she isn’t as classy as the last Batgirl.”

“What does he want with Harley?” she placed a hand on Batman’s shoulder as she spoke, “I heard he was done with her, threw her away like yesterday’s trash only to appear three years later and claim he wanted her back.”

“God knows what he wants with that ditsy tart, if you ask me he’s just as obsessed with her as she is him,” she felt Batman’s shoulders tense under her hand but she chose to ignore it, “Everyone knows he just leaves her to rot in here so she’ll learn a lesson or two, not that she ever does.”

“There has to be more than that,” Batman spoke again, his voice holding a slight strain to it.

“Sure there is. If there’s anyone he’s more obsessed with it’s you and if he’s right, his nut job of a girlfriend may just be his greatest asset, we all know at the end of the day it’s him she’ll choose.” Harleen pulled her hand back and made her way towards the door.

“This guy’s full of himself B, he’s just spouting rubbish to waste your time,” Batman remained where he was, his eyes trained on Two-face who looked smug.

“Maybe the clown is onto something…,” Two-face leant forward and Harleen knew she had to step in.

“Oi, B. Can I see that coin?” without shifting his gaze, Batman tossed the coin to her and she looked at it, flipping it over to see the burnt side and realised it used to be a double headed coin.

“Be careful with that, girl,” Two-faces attention quickly moved to her. Harleen raised it up, watching the clean side glint in the flickering light.

“Here boy,” she smirked, throwing it back to the mobster, “Best keep those conspiracy theories to yourself from now on or I may just take an interest in coin collecting.”

“I’ll remember that,” he sneered. Batman finally stood up and brushed past Harleen. She wasn’t quite sure what happened there but she had a sinking feeling they had just messed up and for once, it hadn’t been her fault.


	8. Chapter 8

They went through a list over the next few weeks. Their second visit was Nigma, who had stared directly at Harleen with a curious gaze but didn’t say anything. He had done the same thing as Two-face, thrown her in Batman’s face just to see how he would react and adding in some odd, incomprehensible riddle to do with fated lovers. Scarecrow was after that and Harleen had tried to remain in the background, if anyone could make her it would be him.

Tracking him down hadn’t been easy, he had been laying low, hauled up in a rundown apartment used by drug addicts who he had been testing a new mixture of chemicals on. Batman had gone in first and he had done the opposite of what he had told her. He was growing desperate and in a lapse of judgement, Scarecrow had got the upper hand, injecting him with a large dose of his venom. Batman hadn’t gone down but he didn’t look like he was alright either.

Harleen hid behind the side of the door frame, holding a tear gas canister in her hand and a batarang in the other. She hoped like hell this worked because she didn’t know the first thing about throwing the red piece of metal. She closed her eyes and threw the canister, listening for Scarecrows shout before sneaking in. She followed through with the batarang, only for it to hit the wall limply and fall down. Harleen swore under her breath, that wasn’t how she had wanted it to go.

She crouched down next to Batman who was kneeing on the ground, his chest heaving with laboured breathing as he tried to fight off the horrors the venom was inflicting on his mind. Harleen knew he could fight it off, she had seen him do it before but she had a feeling Scarecrow had been waiting for him and he had other plans than to just torment Batman. She tried to help him to his feet, looking around the room and keeping an eye on Scarecrow who was just standing back, watching from behind his mask. Harleen wanted to smack herself, of course tear gas wouldn’t affect him with that thing on. 

“Jezz you’re heavy,” Harleen huffed, slinging Batman’s arm over her shoulders to prop him up. She yelled out when he pushed her back and into the wall beside them. Her head hit first and she crumpled slightly from the force, groaning in pain.

“Get away from me,” he growled out. Scarecrow made his move as Batman crashed back down to one knee. He crouched down, his hands between his legs as he grabbed the top of Batmans mask and lifted it up.

“I wonder what’s going on in that head of yours right now,” Scarecrows distorted voice cracked out, “Are you seeing your worst fear or is the world melting away in front of your very eyes?”

“Where is she?” Batman growled out, “What have you done with her?”

“With who?” Scarecrow pondered, “You’ll have to be more specific.”

“I’m here,” Harleen groaned out, “I’m over here!” Batman turned his head in her direction but there was no recognition in his eyes, just pure anger, “B! I’m right here!”

“Where is she Joker!” he forced himself to his feet and Scarecrow backed away again.

“I’m not Joker!” Harleen freaked out, panicking as he lunged for her and pinned her to the wall by her neck. She hit his arm with her elbow, trying to break his hold but it wasn’t working, “B-, P-please, s-stop!”

“If you’ve hurt her, if you’re hurt Harleen!” His grip became deathly and Harleen could barely breath now. Her feet were dangling and her smaller hands were gripped on his wrists, trying desperately to pull them off, “I swear Joker, this time I won’t leave you alive.”

“Isn’t this an interesting turn of events,” Scarecrow came over to them and looked between them from the side, “I wonder what would happen to his mental state if he killed Batgirl with his own hands.”

“S-scarecrow, H-help!” her vision was blurring and she reached out one of her hands towards him. Any moment now she swore a bone would break.

“Why would I do anything to help you? That won’t benefit my research...,” her hand fell limply to her side and she didn’t have a choice.

“C-Crane, It’s me!” her voice was hoarse and barley a whisper now, “H-Harley!”

Scarecrow took of his mask, his hair dishevelled and his eyes scrutinised her before he lifted a finger and used his nail to scratch some of her foundation off. A streak of white skin showed through and in a second he had reached into his coat. By this time Harleens head had flopped forward and her chest was rising in shallow, delayed movements.

Harleen was dropped to the floor and she fell to the side, her arms out awkwardly in front of her and she stared off blankly towards Batman, her vision slowly coming back into focus as her fingers twitched. Scarecrow ignored the masked vigilante, stepping past his fallen form with an empty syringe sticking out of his leather protected neck. He propped her up against the wall, cupping her face with one hand as he clicked fingers together on the other.

“Harley,” he panicked, “Can you hear me?”

“Y-yeah,” she croaked out dazed. It hurt to talk and she tried to swallow at an attempt to lubricate her wind pipe, which she wasn’t entirely sure was in one piece anymore.

“Thank god,” Scarecrow sat down in front of her, his hand rubbing the back of his head as he stared at the floor, “What the hell do you think you’re doing Harley? Running around with the Bat dressed up like that?”

“I thought…,” she forced a weak smile through her pain, “I thought I’d give this hero thing a shot, see what all the fuss was about.”

“Are you insane?” he groaned out, “I nearly got you killed!”

“W-wouldn’t be the first time s-somebody has tried,” She coughed and pressed her hand on the ground for support as she attempted to stand. Her legs were wobbly and Scarecrow jumped up alarmed as she fell towards him.

“Of course you would find this funny,” he growled out, “Joker’s going to kill me if he finds out.”

“What Mistah J doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Harleen chuckled, only causing her to start a coughing fit and she rubbed her neck to ease the pain, “Just…Just tell em the truth, You got Batman to strangle his new Batgirl.”

“If I had known…,” Scarecrow looked down ashamed he had hurt one of his only friends.

“You didn’t, that would defeat the purpose of a secret identity,” Harleen prodded him in the side and eventually got her footing back, “What did you give B-man?”

“The antidote,” he sighed, “My last one to.”

“Thanks for that, better get out of here before he comes to properly,” Harleen slowly made her way to her partner and bit her lip. She was slightly disturbed at how far he had gone for her. The Joker was chipping away at him and he nearly had him breaking his own no killing rule. It would thrill the clown prince once he found out but Harleen was more convinced than ever they hadn’t reached the final act yet. Joker was testing his theory and he was using Batman’s own adversaries to do it; the ones that knew how to push and pull him especially. He had told Harleen to stay away from Joker but maybe it was him that actually needed to.

It wasn’t long really, shorter than what Harleen was expecting. Twenty minutes later, a few glasses of slightly discoloured water and a short batarang practice, Batman finally stirred. Harleen wasn’t sure if Scarecrows venom had an after kick, it had never worked on her thanks to Ivy’s concoction she had given her when they first met, but by the way he was holding his head Harleen figured he had one hell of a headache.

“How long was I out?” he asked, rubbing his temple gently, “Where’s Scarecrow?”

“A short while and he’s gone,” Batman hit the ground in frustration, angry that he had let the ex-psychologist get away without gaining any information, “Hey, don’t beat yourself up.”

“Did he hurt you?” Harleen clasped her hands behind her back and shuffled from foot to foot, she wasn’t exactly sure how to tell him what happened, “Joker was here, did he hurt you?”

“He wasn’t here,” Harleen rubbed her neck, flinching as she did, “It was just Scarecrows venom making you see things…”

“But I-,” his eyes travelled to where her hand was and she saw the skin around his mouth pale, “Don’t tell me…”

“Don’t sweat it, I’ve had worse,” she brushed it off. Harleen knew it wasn’t her he had tried to hurt so she wasn’t going to hold it against him. He was still giving her that look though and she felt the urge to knock him around the head, “Don’t you go blaming yourself B.”

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” he stood up, shaking off the after effects quiet well. Harleen nodded and walked to the wall where her batarangs were stuck.

“Had to practice, it’s not as easy as it looks,” she shrugged, placing them back in her belt, “We can skip the hospital, I’ll be fine.”

“No, we’re getting you checked out,” Harleen went to protest but he shut her down quickly, “You said you would follow my rules.”

“Your rules said nothing about healthcare,” she pouted, “I’m fine, I’ve taken worse beatings in the past and I drink a lot of milk.”

“Don’t joke about something like that,” Batman held his wrist up and pushed a button on his compact. A familiar roar echoed down the street.

“Touché,” Harleen teased, “If I can’t laugh about it what am I supposed to do? Mope around like some kind of victim?” she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, “Hate to break it to you B-man but I ain’t no victim and I can take a hit.”

“That isn’t a hit,” his reply was monotone, “You’re getting checked out and that’s final.”

“Is this how it’s going to be?” she spat out, “You say jump and I say how high?”

“You’re injured and may need treatment,” he headed towards the window and hopped onto the rusted fire escape. Harleen sighed, there was no point in arguing with him. He had already decided the outcome and no matter how much she protested the discussion was over before it had even started.

He helped her into the car, making sure she didn’t hit her neck on anything before hoping in himself. If it was anyone else she probably would have thought it was a gentlemanly act but she was beyond pissed to think that of Batman. She hated how he was treating her like a child. Harleen had known the job description when she had signed up, injury was just part of the jobs hazards. She rolled her eyes as she looked out the window, if he was going to overreact every time she got hurt she may as well not even bother helping the prick out.

They pulled up to the hospital and she noticed people staring. It must be an odd sight to see Batman pull up, surely he had his own secret doctor locked away somewhere. He slid the top up and Harleen peeled out, waiting for him to follow. She hadn’t expected him to so when he did she bit the remark that was on the tip of her tongue. People moved out of their way quickly and the whispers followed just as fast. Harleen held her head high, she was Batgirl right now and she wouldn’t let them think a little scratch would knock her for six so easily.

The woman at the reception froze bug eyed as Batman stopped in front of her. They exchanged a few words and the nurse ran off before coming back with an elderly doctor in toe. They didn’t bother with forms, who exactly were they going to put in the name slot. Harleen let out a snort at the thought. _Name: Batgirl, DOB: N/A, Address: N/A, Cause of accident: strangulation by an overgrown bat under the influence of a fear inducing chemical compound._ Yeah, that would go over great for those who had to file that shit.

They were lead to a private room and Harleen swung herself up onto the bed, tapping her fingers on it as she kicked her legs back and forth. The doctor asked her to move her head in a number of directions, left, right, up, now touch your chin to your collar bone. It was slightly painful but nothing she couldn’t handle. The doctor frowned and wrote a few notes down before grabbing a disposable flannel.

“I’m going to have to wipe this make up off to see the full extent of the bruising,” He looked to Batman rather than addressing her, it was annoying but she understood why.

“Speak a word of it to no one,” Batman replied. Harleen leaned her neck to the side, allowing the doctor to wipe off the thick layer. She heard the doctor suck in his breath through his teeth.

“She needs an x-ray, there’s potential for a fracture with this kind of bruising,” The doctor called the nurse back in and whispered something in her ear, “Just give me a minute to clear X-ray for you.”

“I don’t need no damn x-ray,” Harleen growled out, “I know what a fracture feels like and this isn’t one.”

“I insist Batgirl,” the doctor finally addressed her and Harleen blinked. It took her a few seconds to process someone other than a villain or Batman had called her that, “It’s just a precaution.”

“If you insist,” she grumbled, appreciating that all he wanted to do was help her.

They waited for a few minutes and Harleen jumped off the bed and poked around in a desk that a computer sat on. Batman didn’t say a word, he just stood by the door keeping a close eye on her. Inside the first draw was typical medical supplies, a cover for the bed that they replaced with each patient, thermometer covers and pregnancy tests; nothing new that she hadn’t seen before. The second draw had a few wound dressing kits and she pulled one out, placing it on the bed and opening it carefully so that she didn’t touch the sterile components.

“Does that neck bit come up?” she asked, pulling her gloves off and walking over to the sink in the corner.

“A bit,” he finally replied, “I’m fine.”

“If I have to get looked at you can at least let me clean that needle wound,” she stated sternly, “We’re supposed to look out for each other right?”

“Will it make you feel better if I let you?” Harleen nodded as she dried her hands and grabbed a small set of latex gloves. She pointed to the seat next to the bed and he sat down, lifting the bottom of his hood up enough for her to see. It was actually a set of holes, one from the initial dosing and the second from the antidote. Due to the force Scarecrow had used the area was slightly inflamed and swollen.

“Tsk, you’re going to have to keep an eye on that, maybe get tested for any diseases as I can’t exactly say if Scarecrows needles are the cleanest,” She poured a little bit of saline in the white tray within the packaging and with one hand used a pair of plastic tweezers to drip a bit of gauze in. She wiped it down wards before throwing it in the bin then repeated the action with a second bit to get any dried blood off, “I use to do this for Joker all the time when you beat him to a bloody pulp.”

“You sound pleased with that,” he commented, keeping still while she fussed over getting a small, waxed fibre out and cut it.

“He was such a baby sometimes,” she laughed, “I think he put it on ya know, he knew I liked looking after him so he indulged me when it came to fixing him up.”

“He was lucky to have you around,” the comment threw her slightly, “I always wondered who he went to when he needed medical treatment.”

“There,” she stood back with her hands on her hips, happy with the neat little, white square, “You can put your neck piece thing back down now.”

“Thanks,” the shared a look and Harleen blushed slightly before looking away as the tension grew uncomfortable.

“We’re ready for you Batgirl,” the doctor came back in, holding the door open. Batman walked beside her in silence, their brief moment from before forgotten. They were taken to the staff lift and the doctor ushered them down a number of hallways before taking her into a separate room, “Please remove all items that may contain any metal, to the side there is a gown you can use if needed.”

Harleen sighed, the only thing she could keep on was her underwear and mask since she wasn’t sure how the machine would act with Kevlar. She stripped down and put the unflattering garment on, thankful it wasn’t one of those horrible backless ones and she stepped into the hallway where the nurse was waiting.

“Follow me,” she didn’t blame the nurse for staring, it wasn’t every day you saw someone with bleached skin.

“You can ask if you want, I know a freak like me would probably be interesting to someone like you,” The nurse blushed and opened the door to a room, “Come on, you know you want to.”

“What happened to you?” the nurse blurted out, Harleen let out a soft, strained laugh.

“Got thrown into some chemical waste,” The nurse looked horrified and Harleen chuckled, it was always fun messing with the professionals.

“How are you even alive?” she eventually whispered. Harleen shrugged, she didn’t really understand it much herself.

“Who knows, I never really thought about how or why,” the nurse was trembling and her eyes turned glassy, “Don’t go crying on me! I’m Batgirl so I’m tougher than I look.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Harleen brushed past her and propped herself onto a table in the centre of the room.

“How do you want me?” The nurse gave her a couple of positions to lie in and told her to hold her breath as she moved the machine over each time carefully. Fifteen minutes later Harleen was back in her Batgirl outfit and in the room where Batman and the doctor were peering over the black and blue slides under a light, “So…am I in the clear?”

“Surprisingly yes,” the doctor breathed out a sigh of relief, “There is a bit a swelling so I’ll prescribe you some NSAIDS to help with that and some painkillers.”

“Prescribe?” Harleen laughed throatily, “What chemist is going to believe a prescription with Batgirl on it?”

“Do you have any other name we could use?” the doctor asked slowly. It went against everything he was taught but they didn’t really have a choice.

“Holly Chance,” the doctor nodded and scribbled on his prescription pad, ripping it off and handing it to her.

“There’s a chemist at the entrance of the hospital, give them this, they probably won’t ask questions so I wouldn’t worry too much,” Harleen took it. He had prescribed her a few sleeping pills on top of the anti-inflammatory and the codeine.

“Sleeping pills?” she looked up.

“It’s natural to have trouble sleeping after someone has suffered a traumatic incident, I thought it was best to cover our bases,” Harleen nodded and looked over to the nurse who had her phone out slyly.

“Delete it,” Batman stated, staring the woman down, “Now.”

“S-sorry,” she handed Batman her phone for him to check and the doctor apologised profusely.

“Tell anyone why we were here and I’ll have you stripped of your credentials…both of you,” The comment was more directed at the nurse who was now just as pale as Harleen was under her outfit. She almost felt sorry for her but that’s what you got when you messed with B-man.

……………………………………

Batman didn’t call on her until her bruising had gone and when he did he had shown up with a damn mask that fitted half way down her face and had, of course those damn pointed ears. She snatched it and shoved it on, pouting to show her displeasure but she wasn’t going to risk being kick off this gig. She had been incredibly bored since getting a taste of going out and getting her hands dirty again. The only thing that really kept her sane in that time was Bruce, who seemed to be putting a bit more effort into their relationship and had barely left her alone longer than a day or two. While it was sweet it didn’t leave her a lot of options to have some free time.

“Do I still look cute with the plats?” She mused, tugging one down.

“Yes,” Batman’s lips quirked to the side, “You do.”

“Naw B, you missed me didn’t you,” she leant forward, poking him in the chest, “Admit it.”

“Never,” Harleen dropped her head in an over exaggerated manner.

“You really know how to flatter a girl B,” she stood up straight and place a hand on her hip, “Who is it tonight?”

“Paris Franz,” his tone was clipped and Harleen waited for him to explain, “He had an unhealthy obsession with the previous Batgirl, she quit not long after he showed.”

“Haven’t heard of him,” Harleen stated, “What’s he into?”

“Head of a crime family, has his fingers in a couple of pies, mainly drug and gun trafficking…,” he trailed off, “Don’t engage him unless I say.”

“Why? He doesn’t sound too tough,” Harleen leant on the side of the roof.

“He’s a sociopath with an obsession, remind you of anyone?” her mind went to the Joker immediately.

“A knock off Mistah J, won’t be the first and won’t be the last,” she sighed, not catching her slip off words.

“You’ve been thinking about him again,” Batman scolded, “Do you need more time off?”

“No! I’m fine, it’s just a force of habit that’s hard to kill,” she explained, “I used to be involved with plans like this with him so it just comes out naturally.”

“You let me know if it ever gets too much,” Harleen nodded, “We’re heading to the docks, he’s got a shipment coming in and we need to make sure it doesn’t hit the streets.”

“What kind of shipment? Good quality?” she queried, “I bet its gun’s, boy’s like them love their toys.”

“Harleen,” Batman warned, pulling her up on her overthinking and tiptoeing a line she shouldn’t cross.

“My bad, none of my business,” she raised her hands, “Lead the way B.”

It didn’t take long to get to the docks; from hers it was only a ten-minute drive and she had situated herself on one of the loading cranes, binoculars in one hand and mouth to her com on the other. She watched Batman move swiftly amongst the containers while keeping an eye of the men unloading a crate and into a van.

“Paris hasn’t shown yet, only his thugs so far,” she commentated, “You sure this guy is going to show?”

 _“Positive,”_ he replied. No sooner than he had clicked off Harleen noticed something to the far left of Batman and she let out a low whistle. Boys and their toys.

“Rocket launcher eight o clock,” she put the binoculars on her belt and pulled out her small grappling gun. She pointed it at the container and let loose. It hit just by the man’s head and he looked towards her in surprise. Harleen zipped down, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the sensation of freedom it gave her. Batman had disappeared, probably to regain the advantage.

 _“Get out of there,”_ she heard from her ear piece. Harleen ignored him, wanting to meet this wannabe and see how he stacked up.

“Batgirl!” the man held the rocket launcher on his shoulder lazily, “Long time no see.”

“Wrong Batgirl,” Harleen quipped, “She retired.”

“Doesn’t matter to me,” Paris replied. Harleen stepped forward and placed her palm on the front of his top, tiptoeing her fingers up his chest. He wasn’t bad looking she concluded, a bit on the pretty boy side and he had a nice Italian tan to him.

“Disappointing,” she sighed, “You’re nothing special.”

“Ha! Don’t underestimate me,” he dropped the rocket launcher and before Harleen could do anything he had his arm around her waist, “I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve.”

“Not interested,” Harleen elbowed him in the gut only to hit a Kevlar vest, “What’s the point in doing all this if you can’t even take the proper risks!”

“What are you on about, I got you out here didn’t I?” she pushed him away harshly, her lips pulling into a feral sneer.

“Pathetic, C-grade wannabe, you’re just a waste of my time,” she turned around, not wanting to bother with him. There wasn’t anything great about this kid, just a rich brat with an elitism complex. Batman had him pegged wrong, he wouldn’t even get himself thrown into Arkham.

“C-grade! The last one thought I wasn’t worth her time either,” Paris grabbed her wrist and Harleen tried to tug out of it, “You’ve got more spunk than her, I like it.”

“You couldn’t handle me kid,” Harleen spun around, pulling her hand back and whacking him straight in the nose. Paris didn’t move, even when it gave a sickening crunch, “Let go already,”

“Decent hitter to,” a smile grew on his face and Harleen shivered, now she saw it and she no longer thought this was any fun, “What’s your hurry baby?”

“Let go!” she struggled against him, panicking when there was no sign of Batman and she could hear the sounds of gunshots in the distance.

“Don’t worry about him, he can’t stand between us any longer,” he was surprisingly stronger than he looked and Harleen had no choice but to slam him against the container behind him, she grabbed his hand that had her wrist and she smashed it frantically against the metal, “So you like it rough, I can work with that.”

“I’ve faced worse than you,” she growled out, “I’ve seen the face of the devil and trust me, you’re just a small fry compared to him.”

“You’ve got it all wrong Batgirl,” he grabbed her other wrist and pulled her against him, “I’m just a man hopelessly in love.”

“What would you know about love you twisted, low life, C-grade impersonator,” she sneered out, “You think you could go toe to toe with Joker huh? Try it and see if you live and then maybe I’ll consider seeing you as someone worth my time.”

“Joker ae? Got a thing for the clown prince of crime?” he let go of her and she stumbled backwards, rubbing her wrists, “I might have to take you up on that offer.”

“I’d like to see you try,” she smirked, “Go on, you succeed and I’ll make sure I’m in your bed ready an waitin’.”

“You’re a bit twisted yourself, doesn’t bother me,” he pulled out a cigarette packet and offered one to her. She shook her head and he popped one in his mouth, lighting it before inhaling deeply, “Where’d Batman find you?”

“Who said he found me? Maybe I had a stunnin’ resume,” she joked, suddenly enjoying Paris’s company, “And you can’t exactly talk, it ain’t me you’re interested in, it’s this suit and what it stands for.”

“Possibly, keep talking and it may turn into more,” he eyed her up before tugging on one of her plats, “Red heads are more my thing but I think I can make an exception.”

“Survive Joker first,” Harleen laughed, “And then we’ll talk,” In the distance the gunfire had stopped and Harleen looked around for Batman.

“That’s my cue, be seeing you Batgirl,” He jumped down from the container and Harleen watched him go, she knew she should apprehend him but she honestly wanted to see if he could pull it off. It would certainly solve a lot of her problems.

“You let him go,” Batman landed behind her, “Why?”

“He’s harmless, C-grade and loaded, he’ll be out in the morning and besides we got his shipment which was the main target,” Harleen jumped down from the container herself and over to the van that had been left behind, “Coke, what a surprise.”

“Gordon’s on his way, best to make ourselves scarce,” he was angry, it didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

“You think I messed up,” she asked as she picked up one of the bound packages, “I did the right thing, you would have tried to send him to Arkham because you see similarities to Joker.”

“He’s insane,” Batman grabbed the coke off her and threw it back into the truck, “I told you not to engage him.”

“He’s not insane, he has a fetish and throwing him in Arkham will feed those Joker like tenancies. He’s a mobster, let’s not turn him into a monster,” She knew she was right, “Let’s just call it a job well done and move on.”

“You honestly think throwing him in Arkham will twist him?” Harleen nodded and she knew it wasn’t something he hadn’t thought of before. He had seen him as a madman already, “Are you prepared to take on the consequences of letting someone like him walk free?”

“A C-grade nobody who deals in petty crime? Yeah, I think I can handle it,” she finally turned to Batman to reassure him that she had done what was right, even though she had sent him on his path to death which she would happily keep to herself.

“Alright, he’s your responsibility from now on,” Harleen blinked, “If he acts up, it’s your job to keep him in line, if you don’t I’ll throw him in Arkham myself.”

“Deal,” Harleen held out her hand, happy that he had finally given her a job of her own, “Won’t let you down B.”


	9. Chapter 9

Bruce wasn’t sure what would happen when he had brought Harleen on as Batgirl but he had never expected her to be the one able to restrain herself and not him. She was doing fine and he had noticed a shift in her attitude quiet drastically. Her worries and anxiety’s from before seemed to have been melted away and she had no longer been going out as Quinn. The only downside to it was that it caused him to be more on edge, leading him to act out of character. Any time he heard her name slip from one of the insane they interrogated it got his back up knowing that they we’re talking about her, in front of her. It caused him to want to end things quickly and use more physical force than he had intended. He noticed that it hadn’t seemed to phase her though, it was his reactions to them that made her awkward.

Meeting Paris had changed things, it gave him the opportunity to continue his investigation without her. He easily slipped back into his old ways and was capable of not reacting when she was brought up. His mind was clear and he knew it would disappoint Joker and mess with his theory about Batman. It would probably even drive him out earlier than expected due to frustration.

He was currently lounging on Harleen’s couch, a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and newspaper in the other. The drink was bland but he wouldn’t tell her that; ever since he had told her he appreciated it she made him one every time he came around. He would indulge her as she seemed to enjoy catering to him with something so simple. Harleen was on the other end of the couch, her legs curled up under her and glasses on as she went through a client’s records, occasionally making notes in a small, spiral pad on the arm rest.

“What do ya think?” she looked up and fixed her glasses before brushing her fringe out of her face, “If a person displays sociopathic tendencies but hasn’t properly acted on them would you deem them sane or insane?”

“I’m not a psychologist,” he joked, “My insight wouldn’t be the best.” Harleen put the file down and stretched her arms before removing her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“I know; I just want your opinion on it. For example, Joker, clear sociopath and his acts portray that right?” Bruce nodded, not quite sure where she was taking this, “But just say you have a guy, who has similar tendencies but only sticks to the small stuff, the role he has feeding his ego enough not to tip him over that point…is he sane because he hasn’t progressed and is happy with his situation or is it only a matter of time?”

“I think, with the combination of factors that there is a high possibility his tendencies as you put them would manifest and take over,” he peered at her above the black and white print, “If he’s already doing crime without feeling remorse then his crimes will probably escalate.”

“Even if he was happy in his normal position and had no desire to climb further?” Harleen put the tip of her pen in her mouth and chewed on it, “He would have to have the motivation for progression.”

“All it can take is meeting one person or one event happening to them for the motivation to appear,” Harleen stopped chewing her pen and gave a small nod.

“I see your point, I got put on my path because of Guy, my boyfriend in college, he changed my outlook and set my life on a chain of events leading me here,” That gained his attention. He didn’t know much about Harleen’s life before she met Joker, “He had this theory right, that life was in a constant fluctuation of chaos and I had a theory that love could drive anyone to become a criminal.”

“Sounds like a match made in heaven,” Bruce quipped, Harleen narrowed her eyes, “What happened to him?”

“Suicide,” she replied, “He killed a professor convinced that he was protecting me and after well…he couldn’t take the guilt.” He had a feeling there was more to the story than that but he wasn’t going to push it, that was the old Harleen not the one sitting in front of him.

“And you believe that led you to Arkham?” Harleen nodded and jumped slightly crossing her legs and turning to him.

“I wanted to learn more about his theory so I applied at Arkham, the heart of chaos,” she waved her hands around, “What better way to get an inside view than the Joker himself.”

“So because you met Guy and took on his theory it led you to Joker, which then proved your theory that love can turn anyone into a criminal?” Harleen nodded excitedly.

“It wasn’t intentional, Mistah J saw right through me the second I walked into that room, I didn’t stand a chance,” Bruce was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going, “I mean, look at what he did to me,” she raised her hand, “Threw me into a vat and made me like him, I shoulda left but I stayed, he’d tell me to do something and I do it no questions asked.”

“Harleen…,” he warned, seeing her increasing excitement.

“No, just go with me on this okay,” she picked up her pen and jotted a few things down on her pad, “Like you said before there are environmental factors, using me as an example. I didn’t have the best home life, stern mother with a con-man father, the perfect host for a raft of emotional instability and curiosity about why criminals do what they do.”

“That doesn’t determine how you turn out, there are plenty of people who have similar circumstances,” Bruce offered.

“True but that environment led me to psychology because I wanted to learn about the criminal mind, nothing sinister, just a need to understand my own father,” she waved her hand, “Insert Guy, with his own theories and beliefs, another environmental factor adding on top of foundations, like a skyscraper,” she used her hands, placing one on top of the other, “Then he died and his ideas influenced mine, leading me to Arkham.”

“And then you met Joker,” Bruce put his paper down and sighed.

“Precisely, the tip of the skyscraper that was supported on strong foundations already present, a perfect combination of elements to create love driven chaos,” she clapped her hands together.

“But you changed,” he noted. Harleen nodded and tapped her chin with her pen.

“It’s not something I’ve had to factor in before, stability undoing chaos. Routine, positive influences, not changing the foundations but redecorating them slightly, filling the room with different ideas instead of one core element,” she shrugged before looking back at him, “I guess the next question would be if it’s possible to change the core completely, thus removing the instinct to commit crime.”

“You don’t think it’s possible?” Harleen shrugged again, “You seem to be doing fine.”

“Mmm, I guess that will be proved when the right conditions are set, for now I’m fine but apply a bit of stress, add in chaos and see if the new ideas hold or if the crumble under the pressure,” the stayed silent for a while, both trying to imagine a situation when that potential could occur, “It’s only a theory though and you know how wishy washy they can be.”

“I for one, am a strong advocate for rehabilitation, it’s our choices that define who we become not fate,” he held out his hands and motioned for her to come to him. The petite blonde scooted over to him and lay on his chest, her fingers drumming the pace of his heartbeat, “What brought this conversation on?”

“Just a client, a college of mine believes he should be in Arkham while I believe it’s a rather drastic move. By putting them there he is exposed to situations that would feed his behaviours and he would be given a different status which in turn would feed his ego,” he placed a hand on her back, enjoying having her warmth against him, “So, what’s right and what’s wrong? Do I send him to an environment like Arkham, which could result in another criminal for B-man to deal with or does he get put into mainstream with everyone else where he’s already top of the food chain with no further progression possible?”

“I think,” he laughed, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her up further, “That you’ve overworked today and it’s time to put down the books and study something else.”

“Like you?” Harleen chuckled, she lifted her hand to her bun and tugged at it, letting her blonde tresses’ to fall down her back.

“If you insist, Dr Quinzel,” Bruce winked, his hands never moving from her hips.

……………………………..

When Ivy called on her, Harley didn’t have the heart to say no. It had been a while since she had seen her friend and she couldn’t exactly tell her that she was running around with B-man being Batgirl. She was sure Ivy wouldn’t care but the bat had made it pretty clear no one was to know who she was or Harley would be in a world of trouble. Crane knew, but Harley was not going to let her partner in crime fighting know that. He’d kick her out of their two-man group and she’d be back to square one, bored out of her mind and looking in the wrong places for her thrills. Tonight was just a small blip on the radar, that was all. Her friend needed her help and if Harley was one thing, she was damn loyal.

It turned out that Ivy’s new plant was doing well, she had cultivated it enough for her to be able to transfer it to a bigger pot and take a few seedlings off it. So when she rung Harley, offering to cut her in on her deal to sell one of the budding seedlings she agreed to come as back up. Harley wasn’t exactly broke but she could do with a bit of extra cash with winter rolling in and a new, warmer wardrobe needed. Ivy was nervous and it was unusual to see her that way but Harley shrugged it off. She was probably just worried whoever was buying it wouldn’t look after it.

It made Harley chuckle under her breath. She remembered the time Ivy had thought it was a good idea to give her a small plant to look after as a house warming gift once. The red head should have known better so technically it was her fault the thing had died. To say her friend was upset was an understatement. Ivy had kicked her out of her house and refused to talk to her for a solid year until Harley grovelled her way back into her friend’s life with giant puppy dog eyes and pouted lips. Ivy caved, of course, she could never stay mad at Harley for too long and she had learnt that her blonde friend was not the person to put in charge of another living thing.

“So where are these guys Red?” Harley yawned into her hand, her foot tapping on the ground, “Jezz, no one’s got a clue anymore, didn’t these guys get the memo that it’s the girls who show up fashionably late?”

“They’ll be here,” Ivy was checking on her plant like a hovering parent. She lifted the leaves and picked off anything she didn’t like, “How’s lover boy?”

“Good,” Harley picked her nails and a soft smile crept on her face at the mention of him, “He took me to see Lucy.”

“Oh, oh sweetie,” Ivy finally looked up from her plant, her eyes wide and she looked relieved, “How did it go? What did she look like? Tell me everything!”

“She’s good Red, real good,” Harley had a lot of time to think of her daughter and how much she missed her. She had realised though that she wouldn’t pursue custody, that Lucy was better off with her brother and sister in law, “She looks like me but she has Mistah J’s eyes.”

“I bet she’s beautiful,” Ivy reached out her hand and took Harley’s, giving it a gentle squeeze of support, “Maybe you can have her for a weekend at some point.”

“No,” Harley’s voice was soft and she shook her head, “I don’t want her in Gotham, she’s happy, she had this car and it had a little tutu on it and she was just…she was so sweet Red and gentle, you shoulda seen her smile…I don’t want that smile to change.”

“You’re giving up on her,” Ivy didn’t look disappointed nor did she seem angry. There was a sadness to her but also empathy, “I get it, this city take’s anything happy and twists it until it breaks.”

“She drew me this,” Harley pulled the picture she had found under the picnic basket out of her pocket and handed it to her friend, “She knew all about butterfly’s, she’s so smart Red.”

“You know, I may hate Joker for what he’s done to you but at least one good thing came out of it,” Ivy gave her the picture back just as they heard the door to the warehouse open. Harley put it away quickly and pushed herself off the wall. She swung her bat over her shoulder and Ivy handed her the plant to look after, “Hey sweetie, you’re late.”

“Got the plant?” the man had his hand in his over coat and he had a wide brimmed hat on. It unnerved Harley that they couldn’t see his face properly and she got her back up.

“Got the cash?” Ivy snapped back. He clicked his fingers and another man came forward, a brief case in his hand. Harley met him in the middle, clutching the plant to her as she reached for the case. The next minute, a gun was pointed in her face and Ivy yelled out.

“Give me the plant clown,” the second man grumbled, his finger resting on the trigger as her cocked it, “Now.”

“Now, now boy’s, this is supposed to be a fair trade,” Harley smirked, lowering her bat slowly, “You give us the money and I promise I won’t smash your head in with my friend here,” she tapped the bat to her boot.

“Trades off,” The gun went off and Harleen leaned backwards just in time, bringing her bat up to clip him under the chin. He stumbled back, the gun still raised and another shot went rang out.

Ivy stepped in, her vines crawling across the ground as the sought out the two men. Harley kept hold of the pot, making sure that she didn’t drop it nor that the bud caught on anything as she cartwheeled back to re-join Ivy. Harley placed the plant down behind them on an old crate and spun around. She wasn’t impressed, not one bit. These morons honestly thought they could double cross them, walk away with Ivy’s baby and leave them empty handed.

“Tell me boy’s,” Ivy spoke, sauntering forward as they struggled against her vines, “Did you honestly think that was going to work?”

“Is it because we’re girls?” Harley spat out, eyeing the man who had the gun up, furious that he had nearly blown her head off.

“We’re sorry!” the first one yelled as he gasped for air, one vine constricting his throat enough to make him panic but not enough to kill him, “Our boss didn’t have the money!”

“So you thought…,” Ivy narrowed her eyes, tipping his head back slowly so that he met her gaze, “You would kill us then leave with _my_ baby?”

“We’re sorry Miss Ivy!” Harley grew bored and dragged her bat on the ground as she put one foot in front of the other. She was furious and she tried to remember what Bruce had told her about breathing but she couldn’t. If she hadn’t of been here they could have hurt Ivy, they could have taken away her best friend.

The sound of his skull against her bat rung out through the empty warehouse and everything around her slowed down. In that moment she knew there was no going back. She could pretend all she wanted but she wasn’t Harleen Quinzel and after this there was no way she could be Batgirl. She had been fooling herself to think that she could change, that she could walk away from her true nature. The bat lowered again and a laugh bubbled up in her chest until it burst forth. Ivy was calling for her to stop but she couldn’t. She had snapped, everything she had pretended to be slipping from her grasp. Harleen Quinzel was gone once again and Harley Quinn was standing tall with a large, playful smile on her face as her blood covered bat dripped with her sins. Below the dripping a folded piece of paper lay, the blonde not noticing it had fallen from her pocket; the memory now dampened and ruined with blood she had spilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> After this chapter i only have two left to post and then it's finished and i just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has followed this.   
> I really enjoyed writing this and it's actually the first story i've finished which i'm really proud of!  
> The feedback for this has been really positive and i'm just happy that people have enjoyed it and taken the time out of their days to read it.  
> I'll probably post the next chapter tomorrow and then the last one the day after just so i don't forget as i'm busy doing assignments and can have a shocking memory when i'm focused!


	10. Chapter 10

She dangled her leg off the side of the warehouse, swinging it back and forth as she watched Paris with disinterest. Her mouth let out a loud pop as she pulled out the lollipop she was sucking on before poking her tongue out to give it a quick lick. Batman said he was on another case, which meant he was going after Joker by himself. She was tempted to check it out but decided not to. She had her own things in motion now and Harley wanted to keep an eye on her investment. Although it was hard to ignore the yearning to see her Puddin’ she would rather put her energy into her own plans for him then get dragged into another power struggle between him and B-man.

Over the weeks, Harley had realised she wasn’t cut out for this Batgirl gig, she just wasn’t a good girl like Batman and Bruce were wanting her to be. Harley lay on the thin lip, her leg still dangling as she looked up at the moon, the Bat-signal clear as day next to it. The leotard was really beginning to ride up and she played with the idea of heading home and calling it a night. Paris wasn’t up to much, just his usual shipments and she didn’t have the heart to intervene. This Batgirl gig was more trouble than it was worth and she preferred to be on the other side so while B-man was busy she’d let the mobster get away with whatever it was he was doing; probably more coke.

She signed, her hand with the lollipop now joining her dangling leg and she dropped the red ball of candy, listening for the small pop it made as it shattered on the ground. Harley didn’t even care if it drew attention to her, she wasn’t doing anything worth being shot at. She turned her head to the side, towards Arkham where she was certain she had heard gun fire. Now that sounded like fun. She jumped up to her feet, holding out her hands to balance herself and she slowly made her way towards the corner of the roof. Someone below let out a low whistle and she looked down to see Paris using his index finger to make a ‘come here’ motion.

Harley chuckled, wondering what it was that he wanted and she jumped off the roof, aiming for a pile of rubbish bags to the side of him. It wasn’t the best place to land but she would prefer not to have a broken leg. Paris was smoking again, one hand in his pocket and he nudged his head to the direction of the warehouse door. Harley, dressed as Batgirl followed his lead, wandering in without hesitation.  She could feel his eyes on her backside and grew slightly disgruntled, who did he think he was ogling her like that?

“Keeping an eye on me Batgirl?” he asked, closing the door behind him and walking over to a crate in the centre of the room.

“Could be,” Harley replied, leaning over to stare at the lid of the crate. It had a biohazard label printed on top of it and her interest peaked, “Somebodies getting creative.”

“You didn’t think I’d take on the Joker without having something a little special in my back pocket,” he put his foot on the lid and shoved it off. Inside was a number of green, sinister looking canisters.

“What do they do?” she asked, reaching her hand in to trail it down one of them, the glass squeaking under her glove. She hoped it wasn’t anything to serious, Harley really didn’t want Mistah J dead, just a little rattled for leaving her for so long.

“That’s my secret,” he winked, “Heard he’s held up in Arkham, took it over a few weeks ago without anyone noticing.”

“I was there visiting Two-face, I wondered why we had been let in so easily,” she mussed, her eyes trained on the canisters still, “Joker had his goons dressed as guards.”

“You knew and didn’t tell Batman?” Paris sounded slightly impressed, “How long have you been fooling him for?”

“I haven’t, it’s only recently I decided I wasn’t cut out for this gig,” Harleen stood up properly, “When do you plan on going?”

“When Batman’s got him preoccupied, I figured I could cheap-shot him,” Harley hissed, this guy had no pride but it wasn’t like she expected him to walk back out.

“Gutsy,” she commented, trying to hide her distaste at his plan. Harley turned around and headed towards the door, a yawn on her lips.

“You’re not coming?” he chased after her, “I thought you’d like to see my handy work first hand,”

“Nah, I trust ya to pull this off,” she lied, a small quirk on her lips. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her from reaching the door.

“And our deal?” he pressed, his eyes that were playful before were now hard with determination and expectancy, “I do this I get you right?”

“Sure sweetie, anythin you want,” Paris let her go and Harley held back a laugh, she hoped Mistah J liked her surprise.

She didn’t bother taking the rooftops this time, Harley just walked freely towards her home without a care in the world. Everything was coming to a conclusion tonight and hopefully this lie of a life she had created would be over and she could go back to what she did best; being Harley Quinn. People stared at her, others moved out of her way. She ignored them though, a new day was waiting for her and she couldn’t wait to curl up into bed a sleep so it could come sooner. Her wrist beeped red and Harley looked down at it. It was an SOS from B-man, Harley sighed, surely he was resourceful enough to get out of that mess himself. She ignored it and continued on, eventually reaching her apartment complex.

In the elevator she pulled off her mask and undid her hair, fluffing it up before taking her gloves off and putting them under her arm. The damn SOS was still buzzing and she almost left the gloves in the corner of the lift but decided that she was appreciative of him somewhat, he did try help her so the least she could do was return the suit in one piece. Harleen reached her front door, frowning when she found it was ajar slightly, the lock missing completely. She pushed it gently, and poked her head in.

Her place was trashed beyond recognition, whoever had been here was looking for something in particular. She stepped in, throwing her mask and gloves on the coffee table which was now in two. Harley decided to ignore the mess, it wasn’t like she planned on sticking around so there really wasn’t any need to tidy it up. Hopefully her bedroom wouldn’t be too bad and she could just fall into bed with ease.

“Hello Harley…or should I say… _Batgirl_?” she knew that slow, drawn out drawl off by heart and even though it made her blood heat up a cold chill ran through her at the sound of his displeasure, “You really have been a busy little minx.”

“Mistah J,” she replied uneasily, standing in the doorway to her room. His hair was a mess and his suit crinkled. Buttons were missing from the green waist coat and a large, red blood splatter was across the bottom of his pants, clashing with the deep purple material. His tie was loose, hanging on an angle and one of his black gloves was missing. His orange, silk shirt had a tear in it and Harley gasped when she saw a large gash with dried blood around it, “B-man do that to ya?”

“You mean your new pal?” his tone didn’t turn playful and she flinched, she had really pissed him off this time, “Did you enjoy your little game of dress up?”

“It ain’t like that Mistah J,” she held her hands up defensively, “I swear Puddin’.”

“Don’t you Puddin’ me, you treacherous leech,” he snarled, pushing himself of the bed swiftly, “What was the angle here _Harleen_ , play me and Batsy off of each other and shack up with the survivor?”

“You know it’s always you Mistah J,” Harley’s voice began to shake and when he grabbed her by the hair she hissed out in pain, “Please Mistah J, I was just confused.”

“You’re going to make this right Harley,” he slammed her head into the wall, pressing himself onto her back as he hissed into her ear, “Me, you and Batsy are going to play a little game.”

“W-what kinda game Puddin’?” she cringed out, her cheek squished on the wall still.

“It’s a surprise,” he stepped back, pulling her head with him as he did before he slammed it back against the peeling wallpaper. Harley didn’t even get the chance to close her eyes and before she could begin to count she was out like a light.

……………………………

When she came to, the first thing Harley recognised was the slow, _drip, drip, drip_ of the leaky pipe in the corner of her old cell. She raised her hand and ran her fingers across her bottom lip, hissing when she hit a split. Blinking to adjust her eyes to the florescent light, she slowly pieced everything together. She was no longer in her Batgirl outfit and instead was in regulation asylum wear, a horrible orange colour that didn’t look good on anyone except Joker himself. A rattling of keys jingled at the door and she bent herself backwards slightly to look at the person upside down. Two-face stood there, throwing them up and down while he watched her.

“Treatment time,” he rasped out, “Be a good patient and don’t put up too much of a fight now.”

“You know I’m in no shape,” she growled back, shifting herself to a sitting position slowly as her head began to pound. Mistah J had really given her a decent whack this time, “Where are we headin’?”

“Jokers got a few surprises for you and your new boyfriend,” he opened the door and made a twirl motion with his finger. Harley did as she was told, placing her hands behind her back. Two-Face clapped a pair of cuffs on her, intentionally tightening them to the point that they cut into her skin, “You’ve really pushed him this time kid.”

“You don’t needa tell me what I already know,” she retorted, not impressed with his sassy attitude towards her, “He gonna kill me?”

“I’d be lying to ya if I said he hadn’t thought of it,” he pulled her to him roughly, tugging the cuffs so that they bruised, “Never seen him so pissed.”

“It’s a special talent of mine,” she let him push her down the hall, heading towards the lunch room where she could hear a zapping sound coming from inside. A muffled yell echoed, followed by her Puddin’s laughter and she had an idea who it was he was ‘treating’.

“Brought your girl,” Two-face kicked her in the back of her knee’s causing her to drop to them even though he kept the cuffs held high and nearly causing her arms to pop out of there sockets. Joker stopped what he was doing, his hands in the air holding one of Harley’s favourite toys here; electroshock therapy.

“See here Batsy, I told you I had a present for you,” Joker placed the paddles back on the machine and switched it off, “Let’s play a different game now shall we?”

“Want me to stay?” Two-faced asked, “Wouldn’t mind a shot at him myself.”

“Get out,” Even Two-face didn’t argue when Joker used that tone and Harley didn’t blame him when he disappeared within two seconds. Harley looked up from her position, looking to Batman who had beads of sweat dripping down the side of his face that was exposed. He was still completely in his outfit, Joker never really cared to find out his identity, “Harley, Harleykins, my little pumpkin pie, why don’t you come take a seat.”

Batman began to struggle against his restraints wildly and Joker leant over him, tutting in his face but smiling cruelly. Harley did as she was told, not wanting to upset her Puddin’ anymore then she had. She tried to ignore B-man, she really did but she snuck a glance, something her green haired clown didn’t miss.

“Worried about him Harls?” his hand drummed the top of the Electroshock machine, “Maybe you should worry about yourself instead.”

“I trust ya Mistah J,” she replied, hoping to gain his favour again. Harley stopped in front of him, looking up at him like a child waiting for a present. He stared down at her blank faced for a second before he raised a hand and cupped her chin, using his thumb to rub her bruised cheek softly. There was a hint of regret in his eyes but it was quickly replaced with anger when Batman’s restraints clanked against the table.

“Stupid girl,” he mumbled, pushing her into the chair and wrapping the leather bindings to her quickly, “Let’s play,” Joker whispered against her lips as he leant down, his eyes shifting numerous emotions through them before he placed a hungry kiss on her mouth. He stood straight, clapping his hands together and flicking a switch on the machine. It started to whine again and the pitch increased then decreased as he played with the dial.

“Now, here’s the rules. First one to tell me what I want to hear gets a nice, tingly massage,” he started, looking back and forth between them excitedly, “Lie to me and I crank this baby all the way up to scrambled eggs,” Batman murmured and Joker skipped over to him, removing the bit of leather he had shoved into his mouth to stop him from clenching his teeth together, “What was that Batsy?”

“Leave her out of this Joker, this is between me and you,” he rasped out, “I’ll tell you what you want if you let her go.”

“Now where’s the fun in that?” Joker waltzed back to his machine and turned to her, “Ready pumpkin?”

“Always,” she smiled brightly.

“Question number one!” he pulled out crudely made que notes, lifting the first one in the air, “Is it possible to rehabilitate an insane criminal?”

“Yes,” Batman spoke first, causing Harley to pout. She really wanted to impress her Puddin’ and he was ruining it.

“Wrong answer Batsy,” her body seized slightly as he placed the metal bolus like paddles to her temples. Every muscle in her body was screaming, tense from the electricity flowing through her and when he released it she slumped forward panting, her eyes slightly glazed.

“I answered your damn question,” Batman snapped out angrily.

“I never said what would happen if you answered wrong,” Joker cackled, wiping the back of his hand down the side of her face, “Isn’t she pretty like this? Harls and I used to have real fun with this treatment.”

“You’re sick,” the fuzz in her ears slowly disappeared and she lifted her head up groggily, enjoying the high that came with the treatment.

“Let’s try this again shall we,” he was still standing next to her, paddles in hand in anticipation, “Can I be rehabilitated?”

“N-no,” she laughed out softly, “There’s no hope for you Puddin’.”

“That’s my girl,” he threw the first card behind him, moving onto the next one, “Enlighten me Batsy, do you have a thing for my little pumpkin pie?”

Batman let out a loud laugh, his head thrown back and if Harley didn’t know any better she would have though he had lost the plot. Eventually he stopped and the Joker waited patiently, his curiosity clearly peaked.

“I see what this is about now,” Batman smiled, “You want to know if I ever touched her.”

“Oh, I know you did,” Joker threw the paddles on the floor and moved away from Harley who was blushing even though she knew it wasn’t the truth, “Do you really think you could get away with hurting my property?”

“I thought she was you,” Joker’s smiled widened, “But you already knew that.”

“Still, the only person that gets to hurt my Harley girl is me,” his tone dropped down to a whisper and Harley had to strain to hear him, “You see, she’s a pretty big fan of pain, gets her real reeved up, so what I want to know is if you took her for a spin.”

“I’m not in the business of taking advantage of injured woman,” Harley shuffled in her seat, growing annoyed with the lack of attention on her, “I’m not sick like you.”

“What about Bruce Wayne?” the room grew quiet and Harley had felt like the whole world had stopped spinning, “Do you think he hurt her? Figured out that if he threw her around a bit she would turn into a begging mess for him?”

“How would I know,” Batman replied calmly. Joker stared down at him, giving him a look that said he knew a secret they didn’t before he stepped back again, clapping his hands behind his back.

“I’ve grown rather bored of this, let’s head to the next round,” The green hair lunatic kicked the brakes off the table Batman was lying on and pushed it towards the doors, crashing it into Scarecrow who was waiting outside in the hallway. He turned back to her and pulled out the key to the cuffs, waving it in a teasing way, “Let’s get you out of that god awful outfit.”

He unstrapped her and she leaned forward, giving him access to the cuffs which slipped off and clattered to the floor. Joker offered her his hand and she took it without hesitation, her eyes wide and full of admiration. He led her over to one of the lunch tables that was pushed to the side and he flipped the lid of the box he had taken from her room. She went to reach for it but he grabbed her around the waist, lifting her in the air and she kicked out, afraid at his sudden change in mind.

“You know what, I don’t think I’m done playing with you Harley girl, Scarecrow can have his fun without us,” he placed her back in the chair, re-strapping her and picked up the electrified metal again. He reached for the dial, turning it mid-way as he hummed, “I want to know about your new guy.”

“We’re done Mistah J,” she looked up to him, blinking confused, “You know you’re my one and only.”

“That’s not what I want to know,” he jabbed her in the middle of the forehead, “Three years is a long time to be away from me, he could have damaged you where it counts.”

“I swear he didn’t Mistah J, rehabilitation just isn’t in the cards for me,” he crouched down, his knuckles white from how tightly he was clenching them around the handles.

“He convinced you not to wait, how do I know you’re not playing around with me?” Something about him seemed slightly unhinged in that moment, more so than usual. He didn’t sound as sure of himself like he usually did, “Are you planning to screw me over Harls? You and Batsy got a plan?”

“No plan Mistah J, I had decided to quit that gig just before you showed up,” he still looked sceptical as he stood up sighing, his hands shaking slightly, “I swear Puddin’, that life just ain’t for me.”

“If you cross me Harls,” he sat down on her lap, moving the paddles slowly to her head, “I’ll leave you to rot in here forever.”

They finally touched and Harleen threw her head back. She knew he enjoyed doing this to her, just as she did to him. Other people would probably think that he was torturing her but she knew better, he was rewarding her for playing along and coming back to him. The sound of metal hitting the floor was dull through the tingling running through her body once it was allowed to relax and she could feel his hand in her hair, tugging her head back to expose more of her neck. She let out a low groan when he nipped at her lightly, the feeling enhanced by the lingering sensitivity to her nerves. His other hand was cupping her breast roughly, clasping it so that she could feel the tips of his fingers digging in and she knew in that moment he had missed her.

“Puddin’, “she groaned out, attempting to roll her hips into his, “More.”

“Did you let him touch you like this?” he growled in her ear, yanking her hair again painfully, “Did you enjoy being with someone else?”

“N-no,” she gasped. His hand slipped out of her hair and the other one left her breast. She was panting, her pupils dilated from the excitement. He placed either hand on the side of her face, rubbing her cheeks and pulling the sides of her face to stretch it.

“Next time you cheat on me I won’t be so forgiving,” he hoped off her and stood back to admire his work. Her chest was heaving and her pale skin had a slight layer of sweat on it, glistening like a pearl. Her blue eyes were filled with unbridled desire and she watched him as he restrained himself.


	11. Chapter 11

Harley did as she was told and sat down next to her Puddin’ in an interrogation room. He had one of his legs crossed over the other as he swung around on the ratty computer chair before he slammed his hand down on the table angrily. She wanted to do something to comfort him but it wasn’t her time to shine, not when Scarecrow was holding up his time with B-man. In front of her he had placed her gun and one bullet sat beside it. The cylinder was open, the chambers empty and she had a feeling he was wanting to play some kind of Russian roulette.

The door opened, Scarecrow and Two-face came in, dragging Batman along the ground. Two-face gave the unconscious vigilante a swift kick to the face, letting out some of his frustration. Joker sighed and stood up. Harley stayed where she was, happy to watch from her designated spot. The three men propped him up against the chair opposite her and pulled his hands behind his back, cuffing him roughly before the other two exited.

Joker slapped him a few times with big swinging backhands until he stirred. He looked worse for wear. His visible skin was bruised and clammy and he looked disorientated and sedated. Harley fought down the urge to go to him, a part of her wanting to help him. She had grown rather fond of him while working together and she didn’t actually have the urge to kill him anymore, sure she’d go along with Mistah J’s plans but they both knew he would never actually murder Batman. Their purposes were tied together, if he was gone then her Puddin’ wouldn’t have anything to do.

“Damn Scarecrow, I told him to scare him not break him,” Joker reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe, Harley eyed it, noticing adrenaline written on the label. He handed it to her and she took it without question, “You’re the Doc, help our patient.”

She stood up and traced the top of his armour, finding where the hood started and rolled up the leather slightly. Joker crossed his arms over his chest and quirked his eyebrow, clearly wondering how she knew to do that. Harley ignore him and pressed the needle against his skin, she was much gentler than she should be but if she showed him a small bit of kindness she was hoping the guilt that was bubbling in her stomach would die down.

“Anything you’d like to tell me Harley girl?” he grabbed her when she came back around and she landed in his lap, one arm around the back of his neck and the other splayed against his chest, “I thought you said you weren’t intimate.”

“We weren’t, I just cleaned up one of his wounds once,” his grip on her thigh tightened then relaxed and he looked like he wanted to throw her out a window again.

“Harleen,” Batman spoke, his voice cracked in some places, “Help me.”

“Ha! Will you listen to that, he expects you to help him,” Jokers face relaxed again and Harley breathed out in relief, “What do you say Harls?”

“Only if ya want me to Mistah J,” she laughed, “Just say the word Puddin’,”

“Get back in your seat like the good girl you are,” Harley scrambled off his lap and back into the seat next to him. She noticed Batman’s gaze travel to the gun in front of her.

“Harleen, you don’t have to do this,” he coughed, “You have a choice.”

“I can’t believe it!” Joker jumped up excitedly, “He still believes you can be redeemed!”

“Harleen, I know you don’t want to hurt me,” Batman ignored the Joker, deciding to speak directly to her.

“Put the bullet in the gun Harley,” she looked to her Mistah J bewildered, “Hurry up, we haven’t got all day,” Harley did as she was told and picked up the bullet, her hands trembling and it rattled when she put it into one of the chambers, “Give it here.”

She handed it to him, trying to ignore how it felt heavier than usual in her small hand and she wondered if that was due to the heaviness of her guilt. Joker spun the cylinder a few times before he slammed it closed and place it back in front of her.

“Puddin’?” she whispered, “You’re not askin’ me to?”

“Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to round three!” he clapped his hands again like a child at Christmas, “Pick it up.”

“But-,” he narrowed his eyes and Harley shut her trap pretty quickly and lifted the gun back up.

“Shoot him,” Harley didn’t move, her eyes shifting between Batman, the gun and then to the Joker. She wasn’t sure if this was a trick, the last time she had tried to kill Batman he had pushed her out a window and left her for dead, “Well? What are you waiting for?”

“Harleen, if you do this there’s no coming back,” Batman kept his voice calm and soft, “They’ll chuck you down in Belle Rev where even Joker can’t reach you.”

“Harley…,” Joker warned, “Do not disappoint me again,” Harley placed both hands on the gun to steady herself and she pointed it straight, the barrel directly in line between Batman’s eyes. She bit her lip, looking to Joker again who grew agitated by the second, “Do it!”

She pulled the trigger, closing her eyes as she did and the room fell quiet. There was no bang like she had expected, instead it was a soft click, indicating that the chamber had been an empty one. Batman hadn’t moved an inch, he just stared at her with sad, disappointed eyes. Harley lowered the gun and a numbness set into her body. A bleached hand slipped over hers and lifted the gun again. She faintly recognised Jokers breath on her neck and the feeling of his arms around her.

“Stop it, you’ve proved your point,” Batman growled out.

“Do it again,” he whispered before taking her earlobe between his lips and sucking it softly, “Be a good girl for daddy.”

His finger curled around hers and she felt the trigger move slightly, not enough for it to go off though. Gently he guided her hand, lifting it so that the barrel was now pressed against her temple. His hand slipped away and he stepped back. Harley didn’t bother to pull the gun away; she knew it was pointless. Instead she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Another soft click.

“My turn,” he sat down in the chair beside her and she snapped her head to the side. She didn’t understand, there was no way that she could shoot him, not when he could die.

“I-I can’t Puddin’,” he grabbed the barrel of the gun and pressed it to his head, his eyes wild with excitement, “Please don’t make me Puddin’.”

“Come on Harls, it’s just a harmless game,” he let go of the barrel and she kept the gun in place, “I want you to.”

“You’re taking this too far Joker,” Batman struggled against the handcuffs, “What are you trying to prove? That it’s impossible to be rehabilitated? That you can get her to do whatever you want?”

“Exactly,” the Joker didn’t move and he kept his endless green eyes on her fearful blue ones, “Come on, do it!”

Harleen nodded, he was showing her that he trusted her not to kill him. He was putting his life in her hands, just as she had with him. Harleen went to pull the trigger but stopped when a loud explosion was heard. Joker groaned and snatched the gun off her, pointing it at the wall and pulled. The bullet lodged into the wall, he looked at it before clutching his stomach and hysterical laughter erupted for his red lips.

“Wasn’t that lucky,” he stated, trying to catch his breath, “Now, I’m going to see who our party crasher is, you two stay here and chat.”

The door slammed shut and for the first time since she had picked up the gun she felt like she could breath again. She clutched at her hair angrily, she could have killed him, if Paris hadn’t of showed up when he did, Harley would have shot him right in the head and everything would be ruined. How could she have been so stupid! Of course he hadn’t intended for her to actually pull the trigger! He wasn’t wanting her to at all! He would be furious if she had actually done it.

“Harleen,” Batman drew her attention to him and she look at him through tear covered eyes, “You can still help me.”

“I can’t, he isn’t done with ya,” she whispered, “I gotta do what he says B-man, I’m his girl, I can’t go double crossin’ him like that.”

“Harleen,” his tone grew serious, “I want you to take off my mask.”

“But then I’ll know who you are,” she could feel her tears drying and she sniffled slightly, “You’re just tryin’ to confuse me.”

“Harleen, please, If I’m going to die by your hand wouldn’t it be better knowing who it is you’re shooting?” She took a while to think it over. He did have a point. It wasn’t any fun shooting someone without a name, how could she take credit for it? Another guy could just pop up and claim to be B-man and no one would believe she had actually done it, “We both know you want to know who I really am.”

“Okay, but only cause I’m curious and because ain’t no one gonna believe me if a replacement pops up later on,” she moved around the table and straddled his lap. Her small hands moved around the inside of his suit and she gently rolled the fabric up. She took notice of every speck of stubble, the way that his lips were plump and she wondered if he had anyone that cared enough to kiss him. She breath shallowly once she got it over his nose and when it fell backwards she just stared, her brain not registering what she was seeing. She lifted her hand, desperate to figure out if she was dreaming and she pulled it back as if he had burnt her, “Bruce.”

“Will you help me now?” he asked, his eyes crinkling in the corners in pain, “I know you won’t help Batman but what about Bruce?”

“I…,” another loud explosion and she heard people screaming, “I don’t understand.”

“We can talk about it later once we get out of here,” he replied, looking to the door to check the Joker wasn’t coming back in, “Just help me.”

“What the hell are you playin at!” She got off him and kicked him in the chest. His chair fell back and he winced when his arm connected with the concrete, “How could you do this to me!”

“Harleen, I just wanted to help you,” he replied, slipping his arms out from the chair somehow so that they were now in front of him, “I can still help you.”

“Help me? You really are as batty as you look!” she put as much distance between her and him as she could, “He’s right isn’t he? My Puddin’ warned me! He told me I was just your pet project!”

“No Harleen, It wasn’t like that at all,” she didn’t know how he did it but he had snapped the middle of the cuffs and the metal now hung loosely on each wrist, “I wanted to help you, I didn’t intend to start a relationship.”

“Bull! You just wanted to keep me in check so you could show everyone that your stupid rehabilitation program worked!” she picked up her chair and threw it at him as he crossed the room towards her, his hood now firmly back in place, “Don’t you dare touch me!”

“Harleen, we need to get out of here,” she slapped his hand away, pressing herself against the wall, “I don’t have time for this!”

“Then leave!” she pointed to the door, “Go!”

“Not without you,” he grabbed her by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. Harley kicked her legs and threw her fists into his back like a child throwing a tantrum.

“Put me down!” she screamed, “I hate you!”

“You’ll thank me later,” he pulled the door open and ran towards where he knew the entrance was. Harleen was screaming wildly, calling out for help but everyone around was too preoccupied with the chaos that had broken out. She saw a flash of purple and Harleen reached her hand out desperately.

“PUDDIN’!” She saw him turn and look at her, his features twisted in anger. In front of him lay a bloodied Paris, his hand clasping a familiar green canister, “He’s gonna kill him! Bruce, you have to stop Paris!”

“What?” he slowed to a walked, craning his head to the side to see where she was looking, he dropped her once he saw the canister.

“What did you do?” he asked, looking completely disgusted with her, “What the hell did you do Harleen!”

“Just save my Puddin’!” she begged. Batman took off, sprinting towards his nemesis and the C-grade mobster who was about the lop the bio-chemical product at Joker. Harley got to her feet and everything for her slowed down. Batman threw a batarang, his aim precise and hitting the metal bottom, diverting the canisters course. The sound of glass reached her ears and a green smoke dispersed across the floor. Joker stepped back quickly, narrowly missing it. The gas like smoke settled on the floor and within seconds the grate in front of him began to groan and twist as it melted.

“He tried to kill me,” The Joker chuckled, crouching down to inspect the damage in front of him, “Who is this punk?”

“All you had to do was die clown,” she heard Paris gurgle out, blood dripping from the side of his mouth as he held his gut, “She could have been mine.”

“Harls?” he looked to her and beckoned her over. Batman had disappeared and Harley sighed. He wasn’t in the right condition to take on the Joker, not without back up, “What’s this kid talking about?”

“Batgirl,” Paris smirked, “She said if I killed you for her she’d be mine.”

“Is that so…,” warning bells were flashing in her head and she refused to move from her spot; maybe she should have gone with B-man when she had the chance, “HAARRRLEEEEEY!”

“Yes Puddin’,” she walked over cautiously. Joker slung his arm around her shoulder and she flinched when he grabbed her cheeks, squishing them together.

“Did you send this punk to kill me?” she nodded slowly, there was no point in lying. Paris looked between them and the realisation finally struck him.

“You set me up,” he snarled, “I can’t believe I let you sucker me in!”

“I just wanted him to hurt ya a lil Puddin’,” she pouted, “I was angry at you for leavin me for so long.”

“Oh Harls,” he turned her head to him and he pressed his forehead against hers, “You really do know how to make me feel special.”

“Anything for you Puddin’,” she licked her lips in anticipation and Joker gave her one of his rare, sincere smiles.

“You two are nuts,” Paris dropped his gun on the ground, “I’m not cut out for this crap, keep the psych patient, she’s yours.”

“Did you just call my girl a psycho?” Harley groaned, his lips had been right there! He pushed her away and she stumbled back, “You’ve got poor manners kid, coming into my house and insulting my girl.”

“I don’t mean any disrespect,” Paris began to freak out, realising his mistake, “I’ll just get my guys and leave you alone, I swear, you won’t ever see me again.”

“Why leave? The party’s just getting started.” Joker grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him forward, his grin as wide as a cheshire cats.

“I told ya he’s the devil,” Harley giggled, enjoying seeing the small fry sweat. Paris looked to her for help but she just shrugged.

“You got that right Harls,” Joker chuckled, “Welcome to the nut house kid.”

……………………………..

Harleen knew it wasn’t the smartest idea to sneak out but she had business to attend to that Joker couldn’t find out about. After the incident at Arkham, police had swarmed the place, Batman leading them. By that time though they had gone, knowing that they had to relinquish control of the asylum back over to the quacks. They did leave them a present though. Paris Franz was now happily settled into his new home, tied up in a strait jacket and well on his way to becoming clinically insane. His wish of joining the big leagues granted. Harley didn’t even feel guilty about it; the guy was a creep.

She tugged her boots on at the end of the bed, smiling when she looked back to her Puddin’ who was sleeping soundly. She had purposefully worn him out last night and they did have a lot of catching up to do. Harley stretched, her joints groaning in protest and the fresh set of bruises from their rough play jolted when pulled the wrong way. She probably looked a mess but she didn’t care, she could take a hit. She froze when Joker rolled over, his hand over his eyes.

“Where are you off to Harley?” he mumbled, still half asleep.

“Food run,” she replied, crawling into the bed and laying her head on his chest. She trailed her finger up his stomach, enjoying how soft it felt to touch. He shuddered under her and he moved his hand, peering down at her with a soft grin, “Anythin in particular you want Puddin?”

“Just come back soon, I’m still not done with you yet,” he gave her a slap on her rear end before rolling back over and Harley sighed. Sometimes it felt like they actually had a normal relationship in moments like these.

Harley gave him one last look as she grabbed her bat and closed the door behind her, making a mental note to stop off at the store on the way back. She whistled a slow tune before she popped a piece of gum in her mouth and made her way towards the police department. The Bat-signal had turned on only a few seconds ago so she knew exactly where he was going to be.

Hoisting herself onto the roof next door she waited until Gordon disappeared, slightly disappointed she had missed him. She couldn’t exactly go hunt him down while he was doing his business. Harley sighed, she’d have to try another time. She jumped down from her hiding place and let out a small yell when she was tapped on the shoulder.

“Looking for me?’ he asked. Harleen nodded, her nerves starting to get the better of her, “You haven’t told him.”

“Nah,” she nudged him playfully. Batman smiled at her fondly and she wished that she could see Bruce’s face instead of the mask, “I wanted to thank you.”

“I failed you,” he brushed past her, looking out towards the city. Harley followed him, resting on her handle of her bat. It was quite pretty up here looking out like this, “I’m sorry.”

“You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved B-man,” he looked down at her and she gave him a wink, “I thought it was what I wanted but it ain’t, This is me, Harley Quinn, Harleen Quinzel died the second she walked into that asylum.”

“Are you sure this is what you want? Just because Joker says rehabilitation is impossible doesn’t’ mean you have to listen to him,” he grabbed her hand, holding it gently, “I can help you properly this time.”

“No thanks B-man, I’m good,” she pulled her hand away.

“You’re okay with how he treats you?” he tried to not sound judgemental but Harley picked up on it.

“Yes and No, he’s my Puddin’ and I love him, it’s not the healthiest relationship and I know that but its where I want to be,” she paused, looking out to the city again, “One day I’ll leave, I ain’t wanting to be treated this way forever.”

“Keep thinking like that Quinn and there may be hope for you yet,” he joked, making light of the awkwardness between them.

“I really do want to thank you, not Batman you but Bruce you, but I guess this will have to do,” she noticed the police sirens in the distance and realised their time was running short, “No one’s ever treated me like that before, it made me happy, safe…It made me realise that there is a different kind of relationship, one where I don’t get thrown around like a toy…you’ve given me hope Bruce and I want to thank ya for that.”

“What about Lucy?,” she pushed herself off the bat and turned to him. The mention of her daughter picked at a wound she would rather leave sealed. She loved Lucy, more than anything, even more than her Puddin’ which is why she couldn’t keep her; Joker wouldn’t like her loving someone more than him, even if she was his own flesh and blood. Batman pulled out an envelope and she took it, “I’ve set up a trust fund for her, if I can’t do anything for you then I can at least help her.”

“Thank you Bruce,” she whispered, tears in her eyes as she realised her Lucy could have a life she could only ever dream of giving her, “And…thank ya for being so kind to me, I know this didn’t end how ya wanted it to but…,” she blushed, trying to find the right words before she finally realised what needed to be said, “I’m loyal to my friends, and you Bruce are a friend so I’ll take your secret to my grave.”

“You won’t even tell Joker?” he raised his brow, “I thought you loved him.”

“I do, but I love my friends to and since you’re one of them that means my lips are sealed, Mistah J ain’t getting it outta me no matter what,” Harley tiptoed in her boots and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. He moved his face to the side, catching her by surprise and instead of pulling away she leaned into it. It was a slow kiss, nothing like the ones she shared with her Puddin’. It was raw and painful, a goodbye kiss between passing lovers.

“Goodbye Harleen,” he smiled softly, ruffling her hair playfully.

“Goodbye Bruce,” she sniffled, sad to see the end of something that taught her so much. They both knew that even though they were friends they would never be able to show it again. This was it for them. Two ships passing in the night, one the sun, the other the moon. Next time their paths crossed they would be enemies.

Batman gave her one last look before he blended into the night, off to chase whatever poor sap had decided to play up and gain his attention. Harley looked down at her watch. The store would be closing soon so she best hurry, she didn’t want to keep her Puddin’ waiting any longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it. It's actually the end of my story.  
> I'm really sad, i tried really hard to add in more but i just couldn't figure out where to work it in. I think i was just trying to drag it out so i didn't have to finish it because i just enjoyed writing this so much!  
> I wan't to thank everyone whose supported this story! Especially all the wonderful comments I've received! You guys are honestly amazing!  
> Much love and once again thank you and i'm so happy you all enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> As this starts Harley will be out of character but as it progresses her mannerisms will change. This may be confusing but bear with me as i'm attempting show show her fall while she fights for her new life. It isn't going to have a happy ending and it isn't going to end up with Harley sane. Be nice, this is my first Batman fic and i've done the best i can! Constructive criticism is welcome.


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